journey , and it is an important step toward raising the bar with respect to management of tailings . Even if full conformance cannot be demonstrated by the established deadlines , we believe it is important to recognise the journey that the industry is on to implement the GISTM , and the enhancements that are being made - now and into the future . One area that is posing more challenging for the industry is ' meaningful engagement ' with respect to tailings management decisions and emergency response planning , having mining companies interpreting the requirements differently . The industry is working within ICMM to align on the expectations in this regard . With respect to management and governance , the industry already sees a shortage of qualified personnel to serve as Responsible Tailings Facility Engineers ( RTFEs ), Engineers of Record ( EORs ) and on Independent Tailings Review Boards ( ITRBs ), and this shortage will become ever more challenging to fulfil as more companies align to the GISTM requirements and as more tailings facilities are constructed . A research study conducted by the Colorado State University ( CSU ) into this challenge was published in late 2022 in an article titled ‘ Characterising tailings professional labour demand ’ in Mining Engineering magazine ( a publication of SME - the Society for Mining , Metallurgy & Exploration ) that highlighted the growing demand for tailings labour resources and the need for collaboration within academia and industry to recruit , train and retain future tailings professionals .
IM : Is this leading to more collaboration between mining companies , engineers , consultants and other experts to address these issues ? Could you provide any examples here ? KM : Collaboration in the tailings management space is at an all-time high , with numerous examples to provide of areas where we , at Newmont , are collaborating with others . In fact , for my keynote at the upcoming Tailings 2023 conference , I will be presenting on ‘ Improving Tailings Performance Through Innovation and Industry Collaboration ,' so will hit a few of the high points here as far as our / Newmont ’ s collaboration with others . Newmont is an industry partner of both the TAilings and IndustriaL waste ENGineering ( TAILENG ) Center and the Tailings Center together with other mining companies , consulting firms and service providers . TAILENG is a research centre dedicated to advancing the state of knowledge and practice in the design of tailings and industrial waste storage facilities . TAILENG is a consortium of faculties from four universities : Georgia Tech ; Colorado State University ( CSU ); UC Berkeley ; and University of Illinois . The Tailings Center was formed in early 2020 by the
Kimberly Morrison , Tailings 2023 Chair and Newmont Senior Director Global Tailings Management
Colorado School of Mines ( CSM ), Colorado State University ( CSU ), and the University of Arizona ( UA ) to provide an academic hub for tailings and mine waste education and research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and produces critically needed tailings professionals , recruit top students to tailings and mine waste careers , introduces tailings and mine waste to mining engineers , and advances the tools for environmental stewardship of tailings and mine waste . Newmont is also actively working with our industry peers as part of various working groups within the International Council on Mining and Metals ( ICMM ), such as the Tailings Working Group which led development of the Tailings Management Good Practice Guide , training modules on the Guide , and the Conformance Protocols to support GISTM implementation . Through involvement in the Tailings Working Group , we have ongoing and frequent collaboration on interpretation and application of the GISTM requirements as we are all actively working toward conformance . After the 2019 failure at Brumadinho , the Global Minerals Professionals Alliance ( GMPA ) launched their Global Action on Tailings ( or GAT ) Initiative to address challenges concerning tailings disposal and storage . The GMPA is a collaboration between association of minerals professionals around the world , including : AusIMM ; CIM ; IOM3 ; IIMCh ; IIMP ; SAIMM ; SME ; and WAIMM . Since 2021 , I have been serving as the SME ’ s representative to the GAT . Within SME , I also served as the founding Chair of their Tailings & Mine Waste Committee . This committee has had numerous collaborative successes , partially with engagement through GMPA ’ s GAT . Most notably , this included publishing the first edition of the Tailings Management Handbook : A Lifecycle Approach with more than 100 global contributors -
including several world-renowned experts – producing the most comprehensive resource in the tailings industry with more than 40 chapters and more than 40 case studies featuring realworld successes and lessons learned .
IM : How do you see the GISTM , other voluntary standards and regulations relating to tailings management evolving in the next decade ? Do you expect these to be revised to incorporate more stakeholder input on a regular basis ? KM : The GISTM is a good first step in establishment of a global standard for industry , which raises the bar and strives to eliminate catastrophic failures . The GISTM sets the bar high with respect to meaningful engagement but is not prescriptive in the approach . Regulatory processes such as project permitting typically require robust stakeholder engagement , input and response ; this should be anticipated to only increase in the future with respect to tailings management . With plans underway to develop a Global Tailings Management Institute to manage conformance with the GISTM , it is anticipated that the GISTM itself will evolve somewhat over time . In addition to the GISTM and regulatory processes , there are other sustainability reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative ( GRI ) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board ( SASB ) that are starting to ask for more information about tailings management and tailings-related risks , and we are seeing increased requests from insurance companies and investors on tailings ; we anticipate that this trend will continue to increase . The theme of the Tailings 2023 conference is ‘ Building Trust in Tailings Management .’ The conference organisers invited keynote presentations from companies such as Vale who will be discussing their tailings management journey , including building trust after recent failure events , and are engaging with other potential keynote speakers on stakeholder engagement to support the dialogue and overall theme .
IM : Is this likely to lead to the increased uptake of tailings technologies such as filtration or comingling with waste rock ? How can gatherings like Tailings 2023 help mining companies and other interested parties gain insights into where the industry is heading in this regard ? KM : At Newmont , we are very excited on other collaborations related to technological improvements in the tailings management space and are looking forward to sharing them with you shortly . Conferences such as Tailings 2023 are excellent platforms for knowledge sharing and bringing together those interested in tailings management ; attendance at such events is exceeding pre-pandemic numbers . IM
APRIL 2023 | International Mining SUPPLEMENT P1