By Kimberly Mazza
The Department of Environmental Quality, Abandoned Mine Land Division (DEQ-AML) Administrator Don Newton was recently elected as the Secretary/Treasurer for the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs (NAAMLP).
Elections are held each fall at NAAMLP’s annual conference and are for one-year terms. Don also serves as chair of the NAAMLP Public Information & Education Committee.
Formed in 1993, NAAMLP joins 32 states and tribes together to accomplish common goals and objectives related to the reclamation of abandoned mine lands. The nonprofit organization represents its membership on a national level related to federal actions, programs, research, and development, and in securing and maintaining funding for reclamation programs.
Wyoming’s AML Division has reclaimed over 25,000 acres of abandoned mines in the state and has won national awards and recognition for the Division’s ingenuity, community response, and technology.
Don has led the AML Division for 2.5 years. He feels that serving as an NAAMLP officer puts him “more in the game” for Wyoming. “There is a greater opportunity to represent Wyoming at the national level and with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement,” said Don. “It provides an opportunity to bring Wyoming’s perspective to the national discussion on AML issues.”