Conferences

112th National Western Mining Conference

The New Energy Economy - It Starts With Mining

February 9-11, 2010

Mark your calendars for the 112^th National Western Mining Conference & Exhibition, to be held February 9-11^th at the Westin Hotel Tabor Center in Denver.    Much has been said about the New Energy Economy; well, it starts with mining and mineral products.   There are more than 335 tons of steel in a wind turbine and tower, while the pads are constructed of more than 1,200 tons of reinforced concrete.   These require molybdenum and limestone.  Solar panels contain an array of minerals, including silver.   Sodium bicarbonate or nahcolite helps lower emissions from power plants.   As renewable energy is, at best, a supplemental form of electricity capable of meeting only a fraction of our nation’s energy needs, coal – along with uranium – are essential to our nation’s growing need for constant or baseload power.

The good news is that all of these products – and many others – are mined in Colorado.  Yet our nation is becoming increasingly import reliant on key strategic minerals – including many of those essential to “new” energy technologies.   Meanwhile, the nation and our state’s access to affordable power is clouded by recent initiatives that could hinder our ability to use these resources in an environmentally sound manner.   Climate change legislation has worldwide implications, along with Mining Law reform measures that could drive industry off shore and threaten our access to affordable, reliable energy and minerals. 

The 112^th NWMC will focus on these and other key issues – the opportunities and challenges facing the mineral resource industry in Colorado and the west.   The future of coal, opportunities in nuclear energy, the status of clean coal technology deployment, and the latest mining reports on Colorado’s $8 billion mineral resource industry will be featured.  What is the industry doing to address public perceptions about mining? Where are the opportunities in Colorado mining and throughout the world?  The 112^th NWMC will be your chance to learn about the very latest in mining in one of the world’s premier mining centers; your launch pad for mineral development – Denver, Colorado.   Please contact Judy Colgan for exhibit space, 303-575-9199, or jcolgan@coloradomining.org

Click here to download a PDF of the conference program.

Click here to register online for the conference.