Mining Regulations

University of Nevada
Oral History Program
Mail Stop 324
Reno, NV 89557-0099

775/784-6932
Fax: 775/784-1365
E-mail: ohp@unr.nevada.edu

Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Room 109 of the Mack Social Science Building on the University of Nevada, Reno campus

Mining Regulations

While regulations of mines on a state level began in Nevada in 1909, restrictions and legal requirements began to intensify with the rising popularity of the environmental movement in the 1970s and escalated even further during the Clinton administration in the 1990s. Both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enacted measures to protect workers and the environment, and many of these were at odds with the mining industry's practices. The lengthy permitting process and on-site inspections attempt to control the effect mining has on the surrounding environment, especially the groundwater, run off, air, and soil. Today, the permitting process to operate a mine may take years to complete. Some feel the regulations are too intrusive, while others feel they are much needed.

		Edward Tomany (1945-), born in Tonopah, split his childhood between there and Silver Peak and as an adult works in mine safety.
		Thomas Cahill (1914-2006) was a life-long miner, with jobs that ranged from assaying and mill construction to a position from Basic Refractories.
		Thomas Rinaldi (1956-), a long-time miner, worked in Silver Peak in the mid 1990’s.
		Donald Duncan (1928-2003) had a mining career that took him to numerous areas in Canada and the U.S., including Nevada’s Cortez Mine.
		Dennis Gaddy Sr. (1949-) worked at Silver Peak in the mid-1990s as a production superintendent for the Foote Mineral Company.
		Paul Gemmill (1907-1992) grew up in a mining family and worked in the mining industry in numerous capacities.
		Ben Viljoen (1953-) worked on mines all over the state of Nevada.