Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
LEAD — Educating the public and acting as a resource for mining companies and related businesses is the central goal for the newly formed South Dakota Mineral Industries Association.
Officially formed in October 2021, the new association was formed to be “a unified voice to educate, communicate and promote industry in South Dakota.” Its mission statement is “to honor South Dakota’s world class mining heritage, its natural resource partners and continue to develop safe, sustainable and responsible mineral resources through education, advocacy and meaningful engagement in collaboration with educators, local communities, policy makers, and members of the public; and to recognize the importance and benefit of responsible natural resource development and use, intended to sustain and improve the quality of life for South Dakotans for generations to come.”
President Kwinn Neff said the S.D. Mineral Industries Association is just getting started with building a membership, and board members are currently awaiting nonprofit status approval from the IRS. But board members have hit the ground running, recognizing a great need to spread the facts about the industry and change public opinion about the need for and the effects of mining. The organization has four main objectives, including telling the story of mining, being a media resource, serving as a public and educational resource, and to be an industry advocate.
“We want to tell our industry story as far as what we do and how we do it,” Neff said. “We want to be a resource for folks who may have questions about our industry … and help explain the steps about exploration, development projects, and actual operating mines. I think that is important for us to be able to explain to the public that there are a lot of different steps involved in the mineral industry. It’s not just mining.”
Neff explained that the association represents all mining interests, from precious metals to sand and gravel, as well as vendors such as heavy equipment rentals and sales, water testing facilities, and more. According to the association, every year more than 48,148 pounds of new minerals — including stone, sand and gravel, cement, salt phosphate, clays, other non-metals, precious metals, coal, petroleum, natural gas and uranium — must be provided for every person in the country to maintain our standard of living.
Lately he said there has been a great need for education about the importance of mining and its process.
For example, he said there are four steps that a company must follow before actual precious metal mining takes place, including discovery, exploration, developing and mining. Most companies in the Black Hills are still in the exploration stages, he said, and many times the entire process can take several decades before a company actually starts mining. In general, he said it takes about one to three years for a company to obtain an exploration permit — longer for areas that are more environmentally sensitive or on federal lands. Then, he said exploration projects can continue for 30 years or more before a company moves on to determine whether they are going to move on to the development phase.
“Everybody sees a lot of exploration,” he said. “But going from exploration to an actual development project is something the public could use some more information about. Exploration isn’t mining. It’s just one step in a long process.”
The S.D. Mineral Industries Association will include a board of no more than 11 members, with six industry representatives, five elected officers and an advisory board. Current board members include Neff, Mark Bowron from the S.D. School of Mines and Technology, Brian Tideman of Pete Lien & Sons, Elizabeth Sailer of Dakota Gold Corp., Tony Auld from Coeur-Wharf Mine, and Larry Mann of Mann Strategies. In addition to providing public education, the Association is committed to providing resources for its members, and lobbying state officials on behalf of the mineral industry.
“The number one benefit is for an industry here in South Dakota that doesn’t have a voice right now. Our members would have a voice of someone promoting the industry,” he said. “Specifically, representation for our industry, dealing with public policy issues and having a voice with our local county, state and federal officials.”
The S.D. Mineral Industries Association replaces the former state Mining Association, which was disbanded in 2005 with Homestake’s closure. Neff said it’s never been more important for the industry to have representation at the state level.
“It’s important right now because of some of the current trends we’re seeing in South Dakota with our unprecedented growth of people moving here. There is a lot of attention on the industry and the negative side of that is being told, and the other side is not. I think it is very important that the association forms to provide the other side of the story for the industry and what the benefits are to the communities here.”
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