Two Colorado School of Mines professors have been appointed to a committee charged with advising the U.S. secretary of the interior on how to receive the full market value for oil and gas drilling, coal mining and renewable energy production on federal and American Indian lands.
Professor Roderick G. Eggert was named one of 20 primary members of the Royalty Policy Committee, while Professor Graham Davis was named one of 18 alternates. Both are in the Division of Economics and Business, which Eggert currently leads as interim director.
The committee’s first meeting takes place October 4. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed the charter establishing the committee in March.
“Working closely with the committee, we will come up with solutions for modernizing the management of public and American Indian assets, while building greater trust and transparency in how we value our nation’s public mineral resources,” Zinke said. “It’s important that the taxpayers and tribes get the full and fair value of traditional and renewable energy produced on public lands and offshore areas.”
The committee may also advise the secretary on the potential effects of proposed policies and regulations on the collection of revenues from energy and mineral development on public lands, including whether regulatory reform is necessary.
Committee members include representatives from several Western states, American Indian tribes, energy companies, public interest groups and academia. Members will serve three-year terms. Vincent DeVito, counselor to the secretary for energy policy, was appointed chairman of the committee.
Eggert, who holds the Viola Vestal Coulter Foundation Chair in Mineral Economics, is deputy director of the Critical Materials Institute, which seeks to secure the supplies of materials vital to clean energy technologies, such as lithium for batteries, tellurium for solar cells and rare earth elements.
Eggert joined Mines in 1986 and holds a PhD in mineral economics and an MS in geochemistry and mineralogy from Pennsylvania State University. He specializes in mineral economics, natural resource and environmental economics and applied microeconomics. His research interests include mineral exploration; mining, minerals and sustainable development; mineral policy; and mineral and metal markets.
Davis joined Mines in 1993 and holds a PhD in mineral economics from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His research interests include Dutch disease, the resource curse, mineral and energy asset valuation, real options, mineral royalties and taxes and mine planning and optimization.
CONTACT
Mark Ramirez, Managing Editor, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3088 | ramirez@mines.edu
Emilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.edu
