Recognizes a company or individual(s) in the mining industry for their outstanding reclamation achievements through regulatory compliance, environmental protections and innovative reclamation techniques that exceed standard requirements during the course of coal mining activities.
NOTE: The mining company must have been actively mining/reclaiming the site during the 12-month period prior to nomination.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
Compliance Although DMRM provides minimum reclamation standards and permitting requirements, the ways and means in which companies achieve compliance can vary greatly. Thus, the degree, effort and innovation for compliance can result in exemplary performance and in financial savings to the company. The nominated reclamation work will be reviewed to determine how the operator’s efforts exceed the spirit and intent of the law. Also the compliance record of the particular operation will be examined to assure that there are no outstanding violations and to determine that there is not past record of poor cooperation in abating violations.
Contemporaneous Reclamation & Bond Release Regulatory guidelines require that mining and reclamation activities occur contemporaneously. The techniques, time limits and distance limitations employed will be reviewed to determine success, innovation and compliance in this area. The difficulty in achieving reclamation under existing conditions and the on-site effectiveness of the reclamation techniques employed will also be considered. Timely bond releases (requests) will also be used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the reclamation process.
Drainage Design, maintenance, and technologies employed for the control of drainage of water at mine sites can result in effective and efficient water quality treatment, thereby resulting in environmental benefit and cost savings for the operator. All of these will be taken into consideration, together with the use of innovative techniques and on-site effectiveness.
Post-mining Land Use Preplanning for the desired post-mining land use (including vegetation planting, evaluation procedures, reporting methods) can result in effective and timely release of bond and in accomplishment of the post mining land use. This criterion will consider that success of vegetation and erosion control and the degree to which the post mining land use has been established, including innovative land use planning and the stability of the site on both a short- and long-term basis.
Innovative Practices Creative development and application of new technologies or techniques can result in resolution of reclamation problems, consequently resulting in substantial reclamation cost savings and environmental benefits. This criterion will also examine the presence of any long-term benefits to the surrounding community and the increased awareness of the law.
Measurable Results (e.g. timely bond request/release, off-site impacts, complaint resolution, timely compliance to NOVs, number and/or scope of ARPs, timely submission of water quality data, etc.) |