VIRGINIA CITY, Nev., April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Comstock Mining Inc. ("Comstock Mining" or "the Company") (OTCBB: LODE) announced the appointment of Mr. Michael Norred, as Vice President of Strategic Resource Planning.  Mr. Norred has been serving the Company as an independent consultant since 2007.

Mr. Norred joins the Company with over 32 years of resource planning and estimating, mine planning, open pit mine design, software development, computerized geological database management and related projects, most recently as President of Techbase International. He has designed, developed and served as an expert user of major software packages for the minerals industry.  He founded Techbase International in 1982, and for the last 29 years has been providing professional services and software to the minerals industry, including modeling and mine planning capabilities to the Company.

For the previous three years Mr. Norred has been personally dedicated to the Comstock Mine Project. During this time he led the project for developing a global resource estimate of The Comstock District by coordinating, analyzing, and developing an unprecedented amount of historical and current data on the Comstock.  As the Company consolidated the Comstock District by acquiring additional properties and mines, Mr. Norred continually updated and integrated the Company's global resource model.

Comstock Mining’s CEO, Corrado De Gasperis stated, "We continue fortifying the strength of our team by adding committed, highly qualified experts.  Mike's commitment not only adds world leading mine engineering and geostatistical modeling to our competency base, he also brings a tremendous knowledge of the Comstock.  Mike has been an integral member of our Comstock team, and we are delighted that he has chosen to join us full time and move to Nevada as we gear up for production."

Mr. Norred is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines in 1978, where he earned a B.S. in Mining Engineering and a minor in Mineral Economics.  Mr. Norred is a registered member of the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME, and a member of the International Association for Mathematical Geology.  He is a Member and former Membership Chairman of the Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association, and was honored as the Colorado School of Mines Young Alumnus of the Year in 1987.

About Comstock Mining Inc.

Comstock Mining Inc. is a Nevada-based gold and silver mining company with extensive, contiguous property in the Comstock District.  The Company began acquiring properties in the Comstock District in 2003.  Since then, the Company has consolidated a significant portion of the Comstock District, amassed the single largest known repository of historical and current geological data on the Comstock region, secured permits, built an infrastructure and brought the exploration project into test mining production.  The Company continues acquiring additional properties in the district, expanding its footprint and creating opportunities for exploration and mining.  The goal of its strategic plan is to deliver stockholder value by validating qualified resources (at least measured and indicated) and reserves (probable and proven) of 3,250,000 gold equivalent ounces by 2013, and commencing commercial mining and processing operations in 2011, with annual production rates of 20,000 gold equivalent ounces.

Neither this press release nor any related calls or discussions constitutes an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

SOURCE Comstock Mining Inc.