Mining Law Summit at the University of Arizona Returns Nov. 10

Jointly hosted by The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law Global Mining Law Program and the School of Mining and Mineral Resources, the 7th annual Mining Law Summit returns to UArizona on Thursday, November 10, 2022.

This free virtual conference will combine recorded presentations from internationally recognized authorities with live participation in answering questions and providing commentary. 

Dr. Carmie Garzione, College of Science Dean, recently highlighted the new School of Mining and Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona (click here to watch) and explained the importance of minerals in everyday life and the increased demand to better meet global challenges.

Here are some of the highlights of this year's summit. Learn more about the 2022 Mining Law Summit at the University of Arizona here.

Challenges in Education—“The New Shape of Mining Education”: The director of the new School of Mining and Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona will discuss the inter-disciplinary approach to mining education being advanced by the new school.

Challenges in Indigenous Rights Advocacy: Jose Francisco Cali Tzay, associate director, Indigenous Peoples Law Human Rights Clinical Programs at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, will be interviewed by Cassie Boggs, retired general counsel of Resource Capital Funds. University of Arizona Law has long been at the forefront of Indigenous human rights advocacy, which is particularly relevant to national and (especially) international mineral exploration and development. The interview will focus on striking the right balance between increased mining in the U.S., particularly for critical minerals to ensure U.S. national economic security, and protecting land and Indigenous rights.

Challenges and Opportunities in Responsible Sourcing: Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) leaders will discuss the need to prevent “greenwashing” in voluntary standards for the mining sector and IRMA’s approach to maintaining the integrity of its Standard for Responsible Mining. This presentation will cover multi-stakeholder engagement, robust coverage and requirements, independent third-party audits, transparent reporting, and continuous improvement at the mine site level. They will also discuss approaches to incorporating circularity in the mining sector, include through strategies such as procurement practices, material recycling, and use of nature-based solutions. Possible Panelists include Aimee Boulanger, IRMA; Kristi Disney Bruckner, IRMA; Raquel Dominguez, Earthworks; Malcolm Shang, ArcelorMittal; Alan Young, Materials Efficiency Resource Group (MERG), and Jim Wormington, Human Rights Watch.

Challenges in Domestic Environmental Compliance: Laura López -Hoffman is heading up the NEPAcess program at The University of Arizona, a team that has developed a new platform that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to search and analyze thousands of documents stemming from the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The topic will be presented as a round table discussion between a NEPAcess representative, Aaron Lien (School of Natural Resources), Marc Miller (dean of the law school) and an industry representative.

Evaluating Community Relations: Chris Hopkins, a nationally known authority on this topic, will provide his insights on appropriate groundwork required to either get a project either off the ground or abandoned early in the process. The presentation will focus on what steps can be taken to establish meaningful dialogue and engagement with communities, to promote participation and benefit sharing, to establish, manage, and evaluate plans, and to address grievances through a local level grievance mechanism.

Wrap Up Analysis, Law and Policy: Prof. Ana Bastida, the senior lecturer in Law, Energy Environment and Society, School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, and the Program Leader of the MSc in Sustainability, at the University of Dundee, Scotland, will provide a live wrap up analysis of the materials presented. Dr. Bastida has concluded in her recent book, that the law and governance of mining and minerals has “historically been a chronically under-theorized and under-systematized area of enquiry in international scholarship.” Also, this time will be available for responses to questions submitted.