This week in Washington, D.C., my goal was to cement SME's reputation as a fact-based, non-partisan resource with key House and Senate committees with mining responsibility, and to introduce the Society as a resource to a few freshman House members who are on the Natural Resources committee.
I was walking to another meeting and saw a sign in an office that says "coal keeps the lights on." I had to go meet this person! It turns out she is Jan Brunner, senior policy advisor for energy in W.V. Senator Joe Manchin's office.
I met with staff of the American Society of Engineering Education to talk about working together on STEM-related issues, ABET accreditation, and SME's P.E. certification process. ASEE is the overarching society that represents academics in all US engineering schools. All but one mining engineering school is represented at ASEE.
I also met with the new policy director at the American Geosciences Institute, of which SME is a participating society. AGI provided me with some valuable insight in to how their Congressional Fellowship selection and administration process works. SME's own Congressional fellowship program kicks off in January with the opening of the candidate application process. SME will place a Fellow on Capitol Hill for one year beginning in Sept of 2014.
My next meeting was with the Senior Policy Director for Rep Chris Stewart of Utah, who is chair of the House subcommittee on Environment of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, and is on the Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. He is very interested in the pressures on the US coal industry. He asked probing questions on the export prospects for coal, the environmental pressures on the industry, and the status of expanding deepwater ports in the pacific NW for coal exports to Asia. These issues are important to the Natural Resources committee in general, and to the state of the coal industry in Utah, in particular.
Later, I had lunch with Katelyn Brewer of Africare. SME president Jessica Kogel met Katelyn at the recent "Mining on Top: Africa" conference in London. Africare is a NGO who works to improve the quality of life in local communities in Africa. They have an interest in mining and its intersection with sustainable development. Africare supports responsible mining in African countries and understands that mining companies can significantly improve the local communities in which they operate. I offered SME as a resource to provide the forum for, and help facilitate discussions with international companies and experts within SME and Africare regarding mining and the social license to operate in these developing countries.
I met with chief of staff for Rep Andy Harris of MD, who has moved from Natural Resources to Appropriations. This committee holds the key to all federal department budget requests. His office was excited to have SME provide questions to the Committee during budget hearings that draws on our member expertise in mining and natural resources that will force answers from government panels that are based on facts and science. Harris' staff also asked SME to help set up mine tours for the Congressman to help him understand how OSHA and MSHA dust regulations are being applied in the mining environment.
A meeting with Colorado Rep Doug Lamborn's staff, will, more than likely, lead to SME holding a Congressional briefing at our offices for Lamborn, who is Chair of the House subcommittee on Energy and Minerals, to meet all the Denver-based mining company representatives.
Lastly, I met with staff at NSSGA to discuss the SME-NSSGA Student Design Competition. I am pleased that NSSGA has finally designated specific staff for this important joint program. This international competition pits university teams against one another to solve real-world aggregate industry problems that include geology, permitting, community relations, extraction, processing, and mine engineering. NSSGA is committed to long- term partnering with SME on this program.
It is important for SME to establish and maintain our presence in Washington with our various stakeholders, that includes Congress, trade associations, geo-science societies and other mining, mineral and engineering education groups. This week has been productive and I feel confident that SME is moving forward confidently to establish itself as a fact-based, technical resource for these and other D.C.-based groups.