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December 13, 2005
SEVERAL RECOGNIZED FOR PERFORMANCE IN MINERAL RESOURCES FIELD
AT ANNUAL APPLIED RESEARCH CONFERENCE
COLUMBUS, OH - Several Ohio companies and organizations recently were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and performance in the areas of mining, drilling, reclamation, and education during the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Fifth Annual Applied Research Conference at Ohio University.
“The land restoration techniques practiced by these award winners represent innovative approaches that will serve as an example to others seeking to assist in the recovery of Ohio’s natural resources,” said Mike Sponsler, chief of the ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management.
Artex Oil Company of Marietta received the Oilfield Operations Award for its outstanding commitment to quick response in oil field emergencies. The company’s “Spill Response Trailer,” equipped with supplies and equipment is available 24 hours a day to any oil producer or agency in the state with a spill emergency. The company established operations to recycle more than 1,000,000 tons of raw limestone/gypsum rock - left as a waste product by others - into a valuable material for roads and commercial use.
Kwest Group LLC of Port Clinton earned the Industrial Minerals Mining Reclamation Award for its efforts at an abandoned gypsum quarry in Port Clinton. The company established operations to recycle more than 1,000,000 tons of raw limestone/gypsum rock left as a waste product by others into a valuable material for roads and commercial use.
Raccoon Creek Partners, made up of Vinton County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development (Ohio University) along with Stockmeister Enterprises, Inc. of Jackson and ATC Associates Inc., of Indianapolis shared the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Award. The team was recognized for using a combination of steel slag leach beds and wetland development to correct a basin-wide acid mine drainage problem, bringing Raccoon Creek back to life after decades of mining-related pollution.
Two Minerals Education Awards were presented for raising awareness of mining-related issues and environmental restoration. Hanson Aggregates Midwest (Wagner Quarry and Sandusky Crushed Limestone facilities) was recognized for hosting regular open houses and school tours, producing newsletters and holding community meetings. Ohio University professor Mary Wilder Stoertz, Ph.D., was honored for initiating classes at the university that provide for site characterizations of mine lands prior to restoration efforts.
The Applied Research Conference is an annual forum sponsored by the ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management that focuses on the newest scientific information in mineral resources extraction and reclamation. The goal of the conference is to find ways that improve the restoration of land productivity and water quality in areas that have been impacted by mining and drilling operations.
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