Don Newton became the Administrator of the Abandoned Mine Land Division (AML) of DEQ in March of 2021, where he met the challenges of the pandemic head-on by significantly increasing the volume of work output by leading a team of dedicated staff. He is currently the committee chair for the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs, which addresses mine reclamation issues across the country. He also co-founded the AML Native Plants Project, which conducts applied research to improve vegetation success on reclaimed mine sites. This Project is in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and The Nature Conservancy.

Mr. Newton has experience with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, having worked across several environmental disciplines, including groundwater, surface water, solid and hazardous waste, watershed protection, and AML. He has also gained knowledge from past work in environmental consulting, real estate development, and private business ownership. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Louisiana and studied Environmental Pollution Control at Penn State. Having grown up in Louisiana, his love for the outdoors brought him to Wyoming via a few other locations. He enjoys exploring through travels, rock climbing, and sailing. He is happily married to his wife of 25 years and is the proud father of two young adults.