by Emily Jones, Assistant Chief Counsel for Environment and Chemicals
During the week of September 23, 2024, the Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) Assistant Chief Counsels Emily Jones, Shanerika Flemings, and Bruce Lundegren attended and participated in the National Mining Association’s MINExpo International in Las Vegas.
MINExpo is held every three years and brings professionals, experts, and decision-makers from the global mining industry together to collaborate, learn, and engage. This year’s meeting was the largest in MINExpo history, with over 45,000 in attendance.
Attendance at the expo gave Advocacy a chance to meet with stakeholders and small businesses across the mining sector, network with other federal agencies that we work with closely and participate in hands-on demonstrations of many sectors regulated by the federal government.
From a regulatory perspective, Advocacy is involved in various areas of the mining industry, from safety regulations to renewable energy and hazardous materials disposal. Advocacy has recently written multiple comment letters to the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of small entities that would be impacted by various chemical risk management regulations.
At MINExpo, Advocacy was able to talk directly with members of the precision cleaning industry, a large user of the solvents currently in the process of risk management, and see the machinery used for precision cleaning up close.
Advocacy’s attendance at MinExpo helps advance its ability to intelligently participate in future rulemaking and learn from small companies across the mining industry, allowing us to better advocate for the interests of small businesses. Small businesses in the mining industry are impacted by a wide variety of federal regulations from various agencies that may not understand the exact nuances of the industry.
The diversity of the small businesses involved in the mining industry means that these businesses are impacted by a slew of sectors, including energy, environment, land access, safety and health, and national security, among the various labor issues impacting all businesses. By interacting directly with small businesses, Advocacy’s attorneys were able to gain a deeper understanding of the practical impact of regulations, as well as connect these businesses to resources in our office.
In addition to the connections, the large expo allowed Advocacy’s attorneys to witness live demonstrations of various aspects of the mining industry. Assistant Chief Counsel Emily Jones spoke directly with a small business involved in the precision cleaning process. Vapor degreasing is a process used to clean large parts in manufacturing. Jones then was able to walk up and look down into one of the machines used in vapor degreasing. Practical demonstrations and hands-on experiences allow Advocacy’s attorneys to serve as better advocates for small businesses when providing comments to federal agencies.
Small businesses in mining are juggling regulatory demands from a variety of federal agencies. The Office of Advocacy strives to raise awareness and pertinent regulatory information for small businesses that compete in this important sector. For more information, please contact Emily Jones, at Emily.Jones@sba.gov.