Summaries for: Aggregates/Mining

Do Personal Agendas Drive Federal Regulators?
EPA OFFICIAL WANTED TO 'CRUCIFY' FIRMS By Christopher M. Hopkins, The Saint Consulting Group The alarming statements by a high-level federal regulator described below confirm a fear that many in the mining and energy industries have long harbored — that some federal regulatory staff have an agenda against mining and drilling projects, indeed against almost any project ...
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Can You Avoid or Mitigate Being Attacked at Public Hearings?
By Christopher Hopkins, The Saint Consulting Group At a recent public hearing in Ortonville, MN, Strata Corporation found itself facing 18 out of 20 speakers voicing their opposition to a proposed quarry. Strata could have discovered that with proper preparation this level of discourse could have been avoided. Now, Strata in short order must provide the commissioners ...
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Should It Really Take Seven Years To Decide on a Limestone Quarry?
By Christopher M. Hopkins, The Saint Consulting Group The Liberty Quarry application was rejected by Riverside County, California after a seven-year approval process which ended last month after a lengthy public hearing process. Granite Construction first applied for a permit to mine 135 acres of a 414-acre parcel for limestone in March — of 2005. That’s seven ...
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Could This Be The End for Pebble Partnership?
By Christopher Hopkins The Saint Consulting Group The Pebble Partnership in Alaska is one of the most significant findings of copper, molybdenum and gold ever discovered in North America. It is also one of the most controversial mining proposals ever. Pebble has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars, without yet fling for any permits. That cost —an ...
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Is the Federal Gas Tax Obsolete? Chris Hopkins in Aggregates Manager
(This article was first published this month in Aggregates Manager) By Christopher Hopkins, Senior Vice President for Aggregates and Mining The Saint Consulting Group The 1970s marked the first time Americans rushed in a panic to buy fuel-efficient foreign import automobiles. Long lines at gas stations caused by the 1973 Arab oil embargo ignited a switch from eight-cylinder gas-guzzlers ...
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Strategic Comms, Pt 26: Environmental Assessments: Not Just an Academic Exercise
(This is the 26th in a continuing series on strategic communications. Click here for earlier segments) By Owen Eagan, The Saint Consulting Group Large real estate development projects typically need to undergo some type of environmental assessment.  And, if federal funding and/or permitting are involved, a project may require both federal and state environmental assessments.  This usually entails a ...
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How To Stop A Mine In 3 Easy Steps, at NWMA, Reno, Nov. 30 at 8:00 AM
Chris Hopkins, senior vice president for aggregates and mining for The Saint Consulting Group, will participate in a presentation on overcoming opposition to mining at the North West Mining Association in Reno, NV. The presentation at NWMA's 2011 Annual Meeting, on Wednesday November 30th at 8:00 am PST, will be  "How to Stop a Mine in ...
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Chris Hopkins To Host Session on Political Hurdles of Mine Permitting at Re:Con 2012
Christopher Hopkins, the senior vice president for aggregates and mining for The Saint Consulting Group, will host a session on “Navigating the Political Hurdles of Mine Permitting” at the Re:Con 2012 on January 15-18 at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, FL. This session addresses strategies for overcoming community objections and negotiating political hurdles ...
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More Press on Saint Index: Wind Power, Gender and Age Gaps in NIMBYism
The 2011 Saint Index survey has generated extensive coverage across the national press and trade and architecture journals with its sixth annual report on American attitudes towards large-scale development and NIMBYism in times of economic hardship. The press coverage has delved into gender demographics with women more opposed than men to most types of development, ...
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Hopkins: Good Quarry Reclamation Plan Can Help Win Permit
A good reclamation plan can be an important asset when seeking to permit a quarry, writes Christopher Hopkins in the September/October issue of the Stone, Sand and Gravel Review, of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.Recounting the quarries of his hometown Quincy, Ma., Hopkins, senior vice president of The Saint Consulting Group, remembers abandoned ...
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