Cobalt mining conference taking shape – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 10, 2018)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Land rehabilitation, mining legacy and cobalt exploration are featured topics at September event

There’s definitely a dual meaning that applies to the inaugural Green Mining Conference being held in the Town of Cobalt this September.

For decades, the northeastern Ontario community of 1,100 endured the environmental legacy issues left behind by the town’s famed Silver Rush at the turn of the last century; something Agnico Eagle Mines has spent considerable time and money on to clean up old mine workings.

At the same time, Cobalt is back on the world stage as an exploration hotspot for its namesake metal that’s powering the expanding electric vehicle battery market.

A number of mining companies have staked prospective ground around the historic former mining town in the search for cobalt, a so-called green-tech mineral needed to feed the growing lithium battery market. Cobalt was discarded as a waste by-product metal mixed in with silver.

“The movement for green mining has been around for a few years,” said Mayor Tina Sartoretto, who’s organizing the program for the Sept. 12-14 event. “When we were discussing the potential for having a small mining conference, we put that out there thinking we were so clever. It really does sound like an oxymoron.”

For the rest of this article: https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/green/cobalt-mining-conference-taking-shape-1011450