Consensus Study Report
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This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the Virginia Department of Energy and the National Academy of Sciences’ Arthur L. Day Fund. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-69121-5
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-69121-4
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26643
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. The Potential Impacts of Gold Mining in Virginia. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26643.
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COMMITTEE ON POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF GOLD MINING IN VIRGINIA
WILLIAM A. HOPKINS, Chair, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
KWAME AWUAH-OFFEI, Missouri University of Science and Technology
JOEL D. BLUM, University of Michigan
ROBERT J. BODNAR, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
THOMAS CRAFFORD, U.S. Geological Survey (retired)
FIONA M. DOYLE, University of California, Berkeley
JAMI DWYER, Barr Engineering Company (retired)
ELIZABETH HOLLEY, Colorado School of Mines
PAUL A. LOCKE, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
SCOTT M. OLSON, University of Illinois
BRIAN S. SCHWARTZ, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
M. GARRETT SMITH, Montana Department of Environmental Quality
SHILIANG WU, Michigan Technological University
Staff
STEPHANIE JOHNSON, Study Director
MARGO REGIER, Study Director
CLARA PHIPPS, Senior Program Assistant (until June 2022)
MILES LANSING, Program Assistant (starting July 2022)
CHIOMA ONWUMELU, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow (March–May 2022)
__________________
NOTE: See Appendix B, Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflicts of Interest.
COMMITTEE ON EARTH RESOURCES
JAMES SLUTZ, Chair, National Petroleum Council
BRIDGET F. AYLING, University of Nevada, Reno
CHRISTOPHER D. BARTON, University of Kentucky
ERIN A. CAMPBELL, Wyoming State Geological Survey
DANIEL P. CONNELL, CONSOL Energy Inc.
GARY J. GOLDBERG, BHP Ltd.
DOUGLASS W. HOLLETT, Melroy-Hollett Technology Partners
KRAMER D. LUXBACHER, University of Arizona
DEBORAH PEACOCK, Peacock Law P.C.
ANN ROBERTSON-TAIT, GeothermEx, Inc.
TOMIEKA Y. SEARCY, BP America, Inc.
Staff
MARGO REGIER, Program Officer
PADRAIGH HARDIN, Program Assistant
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
ISABEL P. MONTAÑEZ, Chair, University of California, Davis
THORSTEN W. BECKER, The University of Texas at Austin
BRENDA B. BOWEN, The University of Utah
NELIA W. DUNBAR, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
RODNEY C. EWING, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford University
MARY (MISSY) FEELEY, ExxonMobil Exploration Company (retired)
ZELMA MAINE-JACKSON, Washington State Department of Energy (retired)
MICHAEL MANGA, University of California, Berkeley
PATRICIA McDOWELL, University of Oregon
HARVEY J. MILLER, The Ohio State University
JEFFERY N. RUBIN, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue
JAMES SLUTZ, National Petroleum Council
ELIZABETH J. WILSON, Dartmouth College
Staff
DEBORAH GLICKSON, Director
SAMMANTHA MAGSINO, Senior Program Officer
MARGO REGIER, Program Officer
CHARLES BURGIS, Associate Program Officer
JONATHAN TUCKER, Associate Program Officer
CYNTHIA GETNER, Senior Financial Business Partner
PADRAIGH HARDIN, Program Assistant
MILES LANSING, Program Assistant
OSHANE ORR, Program Assistant
EMILY BERMUDEZ, Program Assistant
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Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by HERMAN GIBB, Gibb Epidemiology Consulting, LLC, and CORALE L. BRIERLEY, Brierley Consultancy LLC. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
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Acknowledgments
Many individuals assisted the committee and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine staff in their task to create this report. The committee would like to thank the following people who gave presentations, participated in panel discussions, provided public comments to the committee, or served as field trip guides.
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Contents
Characteristics of Virginia Relevant to Gold Mining Impacts
2 GEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF GOLD OCCURRENCES IN VIRGINIA
Where Does Gold Occur in Virginia?
Characterization of Gold Occurrences in Virginia
Comparable Deposits Around the World
3 MODERN GOLD MINING OPERATIONS
Exploration, Evaluation, and Development
Reclamation, Closure, and Monitoring
Mining Methods at Comparable Deposits
Tailings Storage Facilities Failure and Tailings Release
Cumulative Health Impacts from Combined Exposures
Conclusions and Recommendation
5 VIRGINIA’S REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Implications of Federal Regulations for Gold Mining
Virginia’s Mineral Mining Laws, Regulations and Guidance
Conclusions and Recommendation
A COMMITTEE MEMBER AND STAFF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
B DISCLOSURE OF UNAVOIDABLE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
C METAL DISTRIBUTION AND POTENTIAL FOR MOBILIZATION
