Page 2 - MN 2020 Conference Program

TECHNICAL

SESSIONS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7 1:00pm
The Changing Face of EPA Enforcement
Jeremy Greenhouse and William Hefner; The Environmental Law Group,
OPENING PLENARY Ltd., Mendota Heights, MN
8:30am The Trump Administration took several actions in 2019 that could result in
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Unlock People Power significant changes to the way the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
approaches enforcement. President Trump signed two Executive Orders limit-
Stacey Koon, General Manager - Administration, Lia Walker, Manager - ing federal agencies’ reliance upon guidance documents and internal memos
Innovation, Operational Improvement; Freeport-McMoRan as bases for enforcement actions. Around the same time, the Department of
We are incredibly proud to be part of Freeport-McMoRan, a company long Justice formally ended the practice of allowing Supplemental Environmental
known for great people, excellent operations, and positive impact on our in- Projects in enforcement action settlements. And EPA has signaled its intent
dustry and the communities where we operate. We have a strong foundation to increasingly shift enforcement responsibilities to states implementing au-
and a long history of success to build upon. However, our industry is in flux: thorized programs. This presentation will examine the reasons behind these
On one hand, demand for our products, especially copper, is increasing. On actions, their current statuses, and their potential future implications.
the other, declining grades means it costs more to produce a pound of cop-
per. Building on our powerful legacy, Freeport-McMoRan’s high-performing 1:30pm
culture, and innovative, tech-enabled people will set the gold standard for
operational excellence and safety in our industry. Evolving Regulation of Waters of the US
Daniel DeJoode; Braun Intertec, Minneapolis, MN
Now is the time to create our future. We can secure a sustainable future Proposed changes under the Clean Water Act (QWA) include a proposal
in the face of change, bring stability to our business, and safely increase from the US Environmental Protection Agency regarding the Waters of the
our performance when we find smart, efficient ways to do our work. People US (WOTUS) rule that would alter the definition of protected water bodies
and collaboration are key: The way we work together is the engine behind and wetlands and will have implications for industry and development na-
our success and people are our most valuable resource. To reach our full tionwide. A case before the Supreme Court may affect how groundwater is
potential, we need to better leverage all the abilities and creativity of our regulated under the CWA. Locally, new Corps regulations for streams will
people. Technology turbo-charges people power: We make better decisions, require assessment and mitigation when streams are impacted in Minne-
improve safety and efficiency and increase production when we use technol- sota and Wisconsin. This presentation will provide an update of regulations
ogy and act on data. This dramatically increases our ability to do more with affecting streams, wetlands and groundwater and discuss implications of
what we have. It also means our people are developing cutting-edge skills. pending changes for industry

Our Americas’ Concentrator project demonstrates what happens when peo- TAILINGS MANAGEMENT
ple embrace new ideas, technologies and techniques. Advanced analytics
and powerful new ways of working are giving our people “superpowers” that Chair: Al Trippel; ERM, Minneapolis, MN
put us on track to deliver an entire new concentrator’s worth of additional
capacity to the market: without spending billions of dollars in capital. 12:30pm
Terraflowing - An Innovative and Flexible Method for
ENVIRONMENTAL Tailings Management
Nils Steward; Weir Minerals, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
Chair: Michael Mayer; HDR Inc., Minneapolis, MN The mining industry has moved to reduce water in metallurgical tailings,
driven by two considerations: safety and the environment. These two factors
12:30pm are key to managing the societal perspective of mining and its social license.
Managing Cultural Risk for Mining Projects Weir Minerals has developed a new dewatering process called “Terraflow-
Jennifer Bring and Anne Ketz; 106 Group, St. Paul. MN ing” to address the value proposition of tailings, and tailings storage. Terra-
flowing™ is an opportunity to produce tailings of a suitable size fraction to
How do you successfully identify and manage the cultural and environmen- construct tailings storage facility embankments or manufacture structural
tal risks inherent with mining projects while complying with laws? A sound concrete products, while also producing dewatered tailings of variable mois-
strategy is the starting point. This requires effectively navigating the legal ture content suitable for pumping or stacking. This paper explores the Terra-
processes, American Indian tribes, and stakeholders. Federal processes in- flowing tailings handling process.
clude National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation
Act. Facilitating a productive and proactive dialog with American Indian tribes
requires understanding of laws, treaties, cultural practices, and much more. 1:00pm
Presenters will provide guidance in establishing strategies to anticipate and Tailings Basins Are Not All Created Equal
manage risk for potential cultural issues to comply with laws, prepare legally Christie Kearney; PolyMet Mining, Inc., Hoyt Lakes, MN
defensible documentation, and minimize potential delays. PolyMet’s tailings basin is the most studied aspect of the PolyMet Project.
Our design has been through multiple rounds of regulatory and independent
reviews, yet it continues to be subject to questions and concerns in the news
and lawsuits. This presentation will go over tailings basin design information
in general, PolyMet’s specific design, and how our design differs significantly
from other tailings basins in the news.

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