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The Mine Waste Technology Program: Success is in Our Hands Published: January 17, 2002 Mine Waste Technology Program: A federal mandate In 1991, Congress allocated $3.5 million to create a pilot program called the Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP) in Butte, Montana to evaluate and test mine waste treatment technologies. MWTP was also given responsibility to transfer the technology by educating interested parties such as government agencies, private industry, and the general public. The MWTP team consists of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, MSE Technology Applications, Inc., and Montana Tech of the University of Montana. The MWTP is managed by Creighton Barry for MSE-TA, Inc., (Petroleum Engineering, 1972). The MWTP is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Interagency Agreeement No. DW8993887001-0. Work was conducted through the DOE National Environmental Technology Laboratory at the Western Environmental Technology Office under DOE Contract DE-AC22-96EW96405. According to the MSE Technology Applications, Inc. web site (http://www.mse-ta.com/):
MWTP has been successful in fulfilling its federal mandate. The program continues to be funded each year at a level varying from 3.5 – 6.5 million dollars per year. Mine and Mineral Waste Emphasis Program: A worldwide need As part of the educational component, Karl Burgher, a Professor of Mining Engineering at Montana Tech, was asked to take the lead in developing a mine waste emphasis graduate option along with a number of other Montana Tech professors. This program fills a worldwide need for mine waste management. Within the first two years, Dr. Burgher had 24 Mine and Mineral Waste Emphasis Program (MMWEP) graduate students with bachelor’s degrees in fields such as Mining Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, and Geophysical Engineering. The program includes coursework in each particular engineering field plus courses specifically related to mine and mineral waste technologies. To encourage enrollment, MMWEP Graduate Students receive fee waivers and stipends, and take part in ongoing mine waste research projects. Some of the MMWEP students have participated in Dr. Larry Twidwell’s research on arsenic remediation (see "Arsenic" article). MMWEP successfully continues to recruit graduate students and currently has seven candidates working on their degrees. Short Courses and Conferences: Technology transfer Dr. Burgher also uses MWTP funding to provide short courses and conferences on mine waste technology and remediation throughout the country. He has made numerous contacts with interested parties through extensive national travel while promoting MWTP and teaching short courses. He believes in "sharing the wealth" and hires Tech professors and staff as often as possible to set up and teach the MWTP short courses. Dr. Burgher feels his program is successful because "we have roughly an 85% renewal rate with clients." MWTP: A new direction
Those short courses have grown into the Environmental Learning Center that coordinates courses among a consortium of Native American colleges throughout the country. Karl created the NewMedia Group on Tech’s campus to handle all the distance learning and Internet components of administering MWTP and the Environmental Learning Center. Karl Burgher has developed Tech’s portion of the MWTP to provide much more than a graduate program or even some short courses. He has expanded the program to encompass education and training for anyone with access to the Internet who is interested in environmental problem identification and remediation. He has formed strong friendships and partnerships with his fellow MWTP members, clients, and Native American Tribal Governments around the country. Dr. Karl Burgher has brought millions of dollars to Montana Tech and keeps the money coming with the simple philosophy that it’s good business to "treat people respectfully and provide the services they paid for."
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With money available for both research and education, Dr. Burgher—MWTP Director since 1994—expanded the program to provide educational courses in environmental planning and mine waste technology and remediation across the nation. During his travels, Karl learned that the EPA was working closely with American Indian Tribal governments to identify and resolve environmental problems on reservations. Through contacts with the EPA, Karl met representatives from a number of American Indian tribes. He realized an opportunity existed to provide short courses to American Indians through a distance-learning program.