NEWS RELEASE – March 5, 2021
R. David Williams receives Environmental Stewardship Distinguished Service Award
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) is pleased announce that R. David Williams has received the Environmental Stewardship Distinguished Service Award. Established in 1970, and funded by the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), the award recognizes significant contributions to environmental conservation by addition to knowledge; by the design or invention of useful equipment of procedure; or by outstanding service to governmental or private organizations devoted to any field of environmental conservation. In 2011, AIME transitioned this award to SME.
David Williams is recognized for contributing substantially to the development of Acid Rock Drainage Technical Initiative (ADTI) guidebooks on Mitigation of Metal Mining Influenced Water. He was acknowledged on SME’s virtual award videos during the Society’s March 1-5, 2021 annual conference.
When David was asked what his first thought was when he learned he was the recipient of the Environmental Stewardship Distinguished Service Award, he replied, “I was surprised....during my career as a geologist with the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, I'd always taken ‘Environmental Stewardship’ as simply a part of my job so it was rewarding to be recognized for maybe even going beyond that. Special thanks go to all my colleagues both in the DOI and beyond for their support because without that, this award would certainly have been unlikely!”
David earned a B.S. in Geology from Bates College in Maine and an M.S. in Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology from the University of Montana. He was employed with the Bureau of Land Management for over 40 years and has been stationed in Denver, Coeur d'Alene and, for most of his career, Butte, Montana. Williams and his colleague Joan Gabelman were responsible for administering the federal mineral laws in the Butte Field Office. He was also responsible for administering several AML projects in Western Montana.
David’s expertise includes federal mineral laws, general reclamation issues, and mineral and metal exploration. He has been actively involved with acid rock drainage issues through the Acid Drainage Technology Initiative and the Global Alliance. Being a mountaineer and skier, Williams has written, presented and co-chaired conference sessions on climate change issues for several years.
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) brings together the mining and mineral industry’s brightest and most dedicated professionals. Over 13,000 global members advance their careers with the world-class technical resources, educational programs, networking opportunities and professional development tools from SME. Our members are focused on sharing best practices for safety, environmental stewardship and moving mining forward.
SME. Inspiring mining professionals worldwide.
For more information on SME, contact Jackie Dorr, Communications Manager, dorr@smenet.org.
For further details, see www.smenet.org