Geochemist Rens Verburg, senior vice president and technical fellow in geochemistry at the engineering and professional services firm WSP USA, will give a free talk, "The Critical Minerals Rush - Not So Fast," at 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3.
The in-person presentation, part of the EarthTalks series held by the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, also will be available via Zoom. It will be held in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus.
Verburg, who has more than 35 years of experience in the evaluation of mining geochemical issues, will discuss what it takes to develop a mining operation and process critical minerals.
"Permitting is only one part of the equation," Verburg said.
A consultant to the global mining industry on environmental issues, he will describe the path to mine development, discuss conditions in the United States and "provide suggestions to address our critical minerals needs without compromising our ability to do so in a responsible and sustainable manner," Verburg said.
Offering context for his presentation, he highlighted domestic efforts to strengthen development of critical mineral resources through new operations, revitalization of existing operations and recovery of mine waste products.
Verburg, who works in the Tacoma, Washington, offices of WSP USA, earned a master's degree in geochemistry and economic geology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and a doctoral degree in geochemistry and mineralogy at Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He has been involved in geochemical studies at mining and mineral processing operations internationally and has written extensively on issues related to mine water quality prediction, mine waste management, mine closure and the assessment of acid rock draining potential of mining wastes.
A frequent speaker at conferences and short courses, Verburg serves on technical review boards for global mining companies and has provided expert witness testimony on mining-related environmental and fraud issues. He was a board member at the global consultancy Golder Associates, which WSP acquired in 2021.
The transaction created the world's largest environmental consulting practice, with more than 15,000 professionals. WSP USA is a subsidiary of WSP Global, a consulting company based in Canada.
Verburg's talk is part of EarthTalks' fall 2025 series, "Critical Minerals - A National Economic and Security Imperative," which centers on the need for a reliable supply chain of critical minerals and the ongoing research to provide them domestically. For more about the series, visit the EarthTalks website.
