COLUMBUS, OH – Mineral resources professionals from Ohio and surrounding states will discuss current issues, research and technologies related to mining, oil and gas drilling, conservation and reclamation during the seventh annual Applied Research Conference, hosted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Mineral Resources Management. The conference is scheduled for Wednesday, and Thursday, December 5-6, at Ohio University in Athens.

The keynote speaker will be Mark R. Shanahan, executive director of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority and newly appointed energy advisor to Governor Ted Strickland. He will address Governor Strickland’s energy plan and its implications for Ohio’s natural resources at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 5.

“Much of what the administration wants to accomplish in the arena of energy efficiency and production depends on Ohio’s vast and varied natural resources,” said John Husted, chief of the Division of Mineral Resources Management. “Mark Shanahan will provide insight on the role mineral industries will play in that effort.”

Opening day sessions will focus on regulation requirements and recent changes, site restoration and watersheds. The second day will focus on discussions regarding reforestation, energy, AML reauthorization and a water-monitoring workshop. A tour of treatment sites in Hocking and Perry counties will feature two projects that successfully address the problem of acid mine drainage.

An awards luncheon, recognizing Ohio’s leaders in mineral resources education and reclamation, is scheduled for noon on December 5. A casual evening reception, featuring educational displays by various organizations and watersheds groups, is slated for the same day.

For further conference information, please contact Beth Wilson with the ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management, at 614-265-6901 or visit http://www.ohiou.edu/NONCREDIT/DMRM.HTM