Since 1993
Welcome
Stanley Dempsey is a geologist, lawyer, historian, author, investment banker, corporate executive, and a pioneering leader for proactive environmental protection and policy entrepreneurship.
He spent the early part of his career with Climax Molybdenum Company, and its then parent firm, AMAX INC. He served in technical, legal, government relations communications and operating positions at AMAX. He practiced law in the Denver office of the Washington based law firm Arnold and Porter in the mid 1980’s. He then founded the gold mining firm, Royal Gold, Inc. Royal Gold is a publicly traded (NASDAQ) gold streaming and royalty company that operates worldwide. He retired as Executive Chairman of Royal Gold, Inc. in 2014.
Since retirement, Dempsey has has pursued private equity opportunities and undertaken expert testimony and consulting assignments for Dempsey & Company, a Golden, Colorado based consulting firm.
An historian and author, Dempsey continues to undertake research and writing on mining history topics. A former President of the Mining History Association, his particular interests are the history of mineral tenure laws, development of professionalism of mining technical personnel, and of the institutions that are essential to the operation of an effective mining industry.
Stanley Dempsey is also interested in many policy issues related to the mining industry and the delivery of health care in the United States. In this regard, he continues to undertaken a wide variety of research activities, and is acting as a policy entrepreneur to develop wide spread adoption of protective clothing and devices that prevent or mitigate injury and economic consequences from falls of everyone in the population.
Management of Environmental Conflict
Stanley Dempsey has managed environmental and land use conflicts for over 50 years.
Mr. Dempsey’s early experience involved siting of major mining and mineral processing plants. The innovative “Experiment in Ecology”, a collaborative effort of major mining company AMAX and leaders of the environmental movement in Colorado resulted in construction of the world class Henderson Mine that included consideration of ecological and land use planning best practices. This program, was undertaken well before the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969. Other projects included the Belle Ayr Coal Mine in Wyoming, the Minnamax copper nickel project in Minnesota, the Climax Molybdenum Company molybdenum roaster in Ft. Madison, Iowa, Alumax aluminum plants, the Namosi Copper Project in Fiji, and the Mt. Emmons Project in Colorado.
The management of environmental conflict involves extensive legal analysis, and strategic planning and communication efforts. Mr. Dempsey has undertaken advisory and expert witness engagements dealing with all elements of these programs.
Mr. Dempsey continued to be involved in managing environmental conflict during his years practicing law and working as a mining company executive. He has a strong interest in finding ways to achieve positive outcomes for both environmental and industrial interests. His active role in government relations for the mining industry, and his service with industry and environmental organizations have put him in a good position to help bring these interests together.
Practical regulation
Stanley Dempsey has long been interested in finding ways to achieve policy goals through practical regulatory mechanisms.
He was proactively involved in developing environmental laws and regulations during the years when such regulation was first undertaken by national and local governments. As an industry lobbyist he sought to shape regulations that effectively secured legitimate environmental policy objectives, without making it impractical to explore for and develop minerals. He was directly involved in creating state and federal mined land reclamation regulation, environmental impact assessment, air and water pollution controls, and in particular, the surface mining regulations of the U. S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
Mr. Dempsey continues to follow regulatory developments in both the mining and healthcare, and takes a particular interest in open source models of lawmaking and self executing regulatory mechanisms.
Mining Law
Stanley Dempsey has practiced mining and public land law, including transactional and title consideration involving acquisition of private and governmental mineral rights, together with permitting issues and associated water rights. His practice has involved international mineral matters, in a number of countries, including Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Greece, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Bulgaria. He is the author of numerous publications concerning mineral rights and mineral law history, and occasionally testifies as an expert witness on these subjects. His publications include a portion of the American Law of Mining, 2d, published by the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. Mr. Dempsey is a past President of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and the Colorado Historical Society. He graduated from The University of Colorado School of Law in 1964 and was admitted to the Colorado Bar that same year.
Mr. Dempsey continues to research mining law topics, including self initiation and free transferability of mineral rights, good faith and fair dealing in mining transactions, the history of mining district laws, regulation of the environmental impacts of mining, and land use planning laws as they apply to mining.
Libraries and Archives
Stanley Dempsey is a bibliophile and a supporter of libraries and archival special collections. He has served on advisory and collection committees of libraries in Colorado. He is particularly interested in digitization efforts that are being undertaken at many libraries.
Mr. Dempsey develops bibliographies and glossaries for mining history subjects. His bibliography concerning mining district laws in the United States was in Dips, Angles & Spurs, the newsletter of the Society of Mining Law Antiquarians in the July, 2012 edition.
The Mining District Governments of the West:
Their Interest and Literature
by
James Grafton Rogers
A Reprise:
And a Bibliographic Update
Healthcare Policy and Reform
The United States is struggling to bring quality health care to everyone in the nation. It spends almost 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product, but delivers the poorest outcomes of any of the developed nations of the world. Stanley Dempsey is working with a major health care teaching organization to apply strategic communication practices to initiatives to reform clinical care practice and other healthcare topics. The focus of his efforts is to find and solve the “Real Problems” that are barriers to delivery of quality, affordable healthcare.
He is also leading an effort to encourage manufacturing and use of protective clothing for individuals of all ages. The initiative is built around the notion that protective gear will prevent many falls, and will lower the amount of damage done when a person does fall. The savings to healthcare will be enormous. Mr. Dempsey is continuing research to find strategies for reform of the healthcare industry, and welcomes collaboration with others who share this interest.