Our Practice
Snell & Wilmer has a long history of providing quality legal services to clients in the mining industry. As a full-service business law firm, we have the breadth to handle the comprehensive needs of any mining enterprise including:
- Acquisition and disposition of mine properties
- Mineral title and royalty issues
- Split-estate and surface use conflicts
- Regulatory compliance assistance
- Appeals of enforcement actions, fines and penalties
- Obtain and defend permits for mining operations
- Public and private financing
- Environmental and natural resources law
- Native American law
- Endangered species concerns
- Historic and cultural resource clearances
- Climate change issues
- Litigation
Our Attorneys
Drawing upon decades of legal experience and strong technical backgrounds, our attorneys have brought some of the toughest mining projects in the Southwest to fruition within the last 10 years. We understand the issues involved with heavily contested mining projects and have successfully defended our clients against challenges brought by environmental organizations while also assisting them in complying with all federal, state and local regulations.
Several of our attorneys have been recognized by the Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of mining law and environmental law and are active board members and general members of industry groups like the National Mining Association, Utah Mining Association, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute.
Our Experience
- Represented mine operator in obtaining coal mining permit for a major surface coal mine. Successfully defended permit in challenges brought by national environmental groups.
- Advised mine operator in environmental impact statement and lease-by-application for proposed surface coal mining on federal lands.
- Assisted operator in negotiation of coal supply agreement with a major utility.
- Represented mine operator in obtaining necessary permits for greenfields underground coal mine. Successfully defended permit in environmental challenges before Utah regulatory board.
- Successfully defended challenges to validity of federal coal leases and permits in Tenth Circuit against challenges brought by environmental groups.
- Assisted mine operator with obtaining needed federal right-of-way for surface facilities at new underground coal mine. Defended rights-of-way and environmental assessment before IBLA from challenges related to effects on lands with wilderness characteristics.
- Advised Powder River Basin coal producer on climate change issues raised in opposition to proposed federal coal leases.
- Represented major surface coal mine operator in administrative appeals of permit renewal brought by national environmental groups raising climate change, environmental justice, and endangered species issues.
- Appealed royalty determinations by MMS (now ONRR) to Interior Board of Land Appeals.
- Evaluated and recommended options for maintaining and extending federal coal leases on behalf of temporarily inactive mine.
- Represented coal mine operators in appealing enforcement actions related to alleged violations of state surface mining and reclamation standards.
- Assisted coal mine operators in easement acquisition, leasing and cooperative agreements to relocate surface facilities in advance of mine expansion.
- Performed due diligence review of uranium mining claims and permits in support of mining company acquisition.
- Drafted and negotiated mining joint venture agreement for inorganic fertilizer quarry on split-estate lands in Nevada.
- Assisted client with acquiring and transferring lithium placer claims.
- Assisted mining claim owner with "claim-jumping" dispute involving former partner.
- Examined validity of title to patented gold mining claims on behalf of potential purchaser.
- Advised mining industry association on issues related to conflicts between agricultural water users and mine operators in light of changing state water policies.
- Represented mining company at trial and on appeal before Utah Supreme Court in case involving surface and groundwater rights, quiet title and forfeiture claims.
- Reviewed and analyzed for potential purchaser status of mine permit and air quality, waste handling, and water quality permits and approvals for Colorado coal mine.
- Assisted Fortune 100 company and foreign investment company with due diligence on clean air and mine permits covering a gold mine and a copper mine in Nevada.
