Mining and mineral companies face unique compliance and permitting challenges at both the federal and state level. Attorneys at Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie partner with clients to obtain permits and adhere to environmental, natural resources, and safety regulations at all levels of government. By efficiently guiding clients through their permitting and compliance needs, we help projects remain on schedule, and on budget.
Our attorneys are adept at preparing and filing initial permit applications, negotiating permit approvals, and integrating authorizations into projects, allowing clients to focus on their business’s operations. Even after initial permitting is complete and projects achieve commercial operation, our attorneys work with companies to ensure ongoing operational compliance, and work with clients to plan for reclamation and closure.
We have deep experience successfully representing domestic and international mining clients on a full spectrum of issues including:
- Obtaining state and federal air, water quality, and water discharge permits
- Defending against administrative and judicial appeals of the NEPA process, water quality, air and other permits
- Evaluating the “time to production” to aid clients’ investment decisions
- Obtaining federal, state and local approvals, authorizations and permits
- Evaluating land positions including fee title, patented and unpatented claims, surface and split estate claims
- Addressing natural resources damages
- Assessing MSHA and OSHA issues on abandoned and operating mine sites
Representative Matters:
- Counsel to prospective purchasers and lenders in providing due diligence on mineral development projects and operating mines.
- Counsel to mining and industrial clients in administrative and judicial appeals of air and water quality permitting actions.
- Counsel to mining concern regarding Superfund liability, natural resource damages, NEPA and water rights.
- Counsel to a corporate division with five producing mines, including all aspects of mine, smelter and refinery operations.
- Counsel to clients on reclamation issues, including financial assurance and closure plans.
- Advise clients on numerous matters involving sand and gravel, gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, zinc and uranium, among other commodities.
- Counsel to Mexican cement corporation in obtaining all necessary permits for limestone mine in Colorado, and defense of permitting and non-compliance allegations at the company’s coal and hard rock mines in Colorado, New Mexico and South Dakota.