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Paul Pierce

My industrial and government career covers 49 years in mining construction and operations, environmental characterization and remediation, chemical/metallurgical process design and operation, hazardous and radiological materials handling and disposal, project management, mining safety, and industrial research. 

Principal accomplishments include:

  • Inspector of Mines for the State of New Mexico.
  • Subject Matter Expert on radon for New Mexico joint legislative hearings on uranium mining.
  • Subject Matter Expert on backfill design and operations and underground facility closure for DOE Yucca Mountain Project.
  • Expert witness on radon emissions from surface and underground mines at federal public hearings concerning passage of national air quality emission standards.
  • Project manager and engineer for oil shale joint venture projects in the Piceance and Uintah Basins, Colorado, and manager of Asphalt Ridge tar sands, Utah, mining design and process testing.
  • Developer of ISO14001 management system. 
  • Engineering liaison to Sandia National Laboratory and joint national laboratory team for scientific research on long-term degradation and structural stability of man-made and natural materials.
  • Supervisor of multiple large diameter shaft drilling projects and engineering liaison in corporate joint venture for development of 20 foot diameter drilled shaft.
  • Engineering and management liaison for underground oil shale blasting research program including Paraho joint venture, SAIC, and Los Alamos National Laboratory participants.
  • Mine designer and supervision of conventional surface and underground mining methods, in situ’ mining systems, and heap leaching design.
  • Experienced mining engineer of coal, gold, molybdenum, nickel, oil shale, phosphate, sand and gravel, tar sands, tungsten, and uranium mineral deposits.
  • Experienced mining engineer and supervisor in deep mine shaft construction, tunneling through non-stable (running ground) rock conditions,   controlled caving of large rock masses, blasting design, and large volume water inflow and flood control.