Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Awards

Selection of the 2012 award-winning operations

Nominations are due to the state regulatory authorities or the Office of Surface Mining field office in nonprimacy states by February 15, 2012. Nominations will be screened by the regulatory authority, and the
best entries (a maximum of four National Awards, one Director’s Award, and two Good Neighbor Awards
from each state), then forwarded to the Office of Surface Mining field offices by February 29, 2012.
Field offices will evaluate and forward the nominations to the Office of Surface Mining Headquarters in
Washington, D.C., by March 20, 2012, for judging in April 2012.
Selection of winners consists of several steps.
A site visit by an OSM field office representative is made to ensure that:

1. On-the-ground performance conforms with
the permit and is exemplary within that state or
geographic area;

2. Information in the nomination accurately reflects
current site conditions;

3. Other mining activities at the site do not detract
from the award-winning activity; and

4. Each nominee’s Surface Mining Law compliance
record is examined to ensure that there are no
outstanding violations and to determine that there
is no past record of not abating violations.

2012

Excellence in Surface Coal Mining

Reclamation Awards
Call for Nominations

A panel of judges composed of representatives of the Office of Surface Mining evaluates the nominations
and selects the winners.

Judging Standards

Judging standards for the 2012 awards are as follows:

1. Clarity and Completeness of Nomination
Package (5 points)

5. Increased Public Awareness of SMCRA
(8 points)

2. Difficulty of Achieving Reclamation under
Existing Conditions (20 points)

6. Long-Term Benefits to the Community
(15 points)

3. On-Site Effectiveness (30 points)

4. Transferability of the Technique
or Practice (12 points)

7. Exceeds the Spirit and Intent of SMCRA
(10 points)

Nominations Due February 15, 2012

For further information, go to:
www.osmre.gov/topic/awards/Awards.shtm
Peter Mali
[email protected]
(202) 208-2565
Cynthia Johnson
[email protected]
(202) 208-2565

U.S. Department of the Interior
Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement

Surface Coal Mining
Reclamation Awards

Rules and required information

The awards program is designed so that state
and Federal regulators can transfer outstanding reclamation methods and techniques to the
coal mine operators who work under the Surface
Mining Law nationwide. The winners are the
coal mine operators who developed innovative
reclamation techniques or who have completed
reclamation that resulted in outstanding on-theground performance. Today, active mines are
turned into farmland, forests, parks, housing
sites, and habitat.

A. Cover sheet containing:

Nominations should be submitted to the state regulatory authority, or in states without this authority
(Tennessee and Washington), to the local Office of Surface Mining field office. Nomination packages must be
developed using the following format:

History and objectives of the program

Nominations for an Award

Nominations may be submitted by coal companies, regulatory authorities, state or Federal mine inspectors,
interest groups, or landowners. Company officials and employees may nominate their own operations.
National Awards. These annual awards are presented to coal mining companies for achieving exemplary
mining and reclamation practices. A coal mining operation may be nominated for achievement in a
specific aspect of reclamation, or for overall performance in meeting goals of the Surface Mining Law.
All nominations should include on-the-ground results for however long the results have been in place. For
example, a nomination for increased soil productivity on a reclaimed site would be verified with several years
of crop yield data.
Director’s Award. Each year, one coal mining operation in the country is selected to receive the Director’s
Award for outstanding achievement in a specific area of reclamation. The Director’s Award for 2012 will be
presented to a project that demonstrates excellence in stream restoration.
Good Neighbor Awards. Up to three mine operations could be selected to receive Good Neighbor Awards
for successfully working with the surrounding land owners and the community while completing mining
and reclamation. Nominations for this category should briefly describe the mining and reclamation
operation (both narrative and photos), and include testimonial letters and/or other documentation of a
successful good neighbor policy.

Who is eligible for an award?

Surface coal mining and reclamation operations that
have been conducted under a Title V permit (1978 present) may be nominated for an award. In addition,
non-permitted mining and reclamation completed
using Government Financial Reclamation Contracts
under the Enhanced Abandoned Mine Land
regulations is also eligible for nomination.
Although Abandoned Mine Land reclamation projects
are not included in this program, this aspect of reclamation is eligible for a National or Director’s Award if
it is integrated with Title V permitted operations.
Director’s Award
Each year, one coal mining operation in the
country is selected to receive the Director’s Award
for outstanding achievement in a specific area of
reclamation. The Director’s Award for 2012 will be
presented to a project that demonstrates excellence in
stream restoration.

5. Name, address, phone number, and e-mail address
of a company contact person (and of the person
submitting the nomination if different).

1. Company name.

2. Name and location of the nominated
mining operation.

3. Permit number(s) of site being nominated.

4. Award category (the same nomination may be
submitted in the Director’s Award, Good Neighbor
Award, and National Award categories).

B.

Narrative description of the specific reclamation or environmental control techniques that resulted in
exemplary performance under the Surface Mining Law. The narrative should be comprehensive, but not
exceed six single-spaced typewritten pages, and should describe the mining operation and the specific
activity nominated for an award using the following outline:

2. Description of the nominated activity or
reclamation practice, including specific problems,
solutions, and unusual circumstances.

3. On-site effectiveness of the work. This should
be documented and quantified with data.

1. Brief summary of the mining and
reclamation project.

6. Names and titles of all individuals directly
responsible for on-the-ground reclamation at
the nominated site.

For example, successful handling of acid materials
could be shown with water quality sampling data.
4. Transferability or value of the accomplishment(s)
to other mining and reclamation operations.
5. Long-term benefits to the landowner and local
or regional community.

C. Digital color photographs
The photos should show both the specific activity and the surrounding reclamation. Photographs should be
8” x 10” or smaller, and labeled to explain what the photo shows. “Before and after” photos are desirable but
not required. Award winners will be asked to provide high-resolution photos (3.2 mega pixel .jpg photos).
D. Format
Each nomination package must contain the required information in one three-ring binder, plus five high-quality
stapled copies. Additional supporting information may be submitted with the nomination; however, it must be
separate from the information described above. Nominations judged at the national level will not be returned.