Cloud Peak Energy Mine Awarded Top National Reclamation Award
November 06 2017 - 4:15PM
Business Wire
Company has received prestigious award five of
the last eight years.
Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE:CLD), one of the largest U.S. coal
producers and the only pure-play Powder River Basin (“PRB”) coal
company, today announced its Spring Creek Mine, located near
Decker, Montana, received the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement (“OSMRE”) 2017 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining
Reclamation Award for enhanced reclamation success through the
diversity of topography, soil and vegetation. The award was
presented at the National Mining Association’s awards ceremony in
Washington, D.C., on November 6, 2017.
Reclamation plans at the Spring Creek Mine incorporate a variety
of livestock grazing, pastureland and wildlife habitats into the
post-mining environment. The mine’s reclamation program utilizes a
four-pronged approach to maximize post-mining diversity in
designated post-mine wildlife habitat areas, including a special
emphasis on the following aspects of surface mine reclamation:
hydrology, vegetation, substrate and topography. This approach has
yielded outstanding reclamation success with numerous reclamation
fields exhibiting exceptional diversity, while also achieving the
ultimate objective of establishing enduring wildlife habitat. The
advantages of a diverse post-mining landscape include improved
grazing potential and wildlife use.
“We take great pride in reclaiming the land we mine. This award
highlights the strong commitment of everyone at Spring Creek and
Cloud Peak Energy to returning land to a condition as good if not
better than before mining began, while meeting the post-mine land
use that is essential to reclamation bond release,” said Colin
Marshall, President and CEO of Cloud Peak Energy. “Cloud Peak
Energy has a strong record of using innovative approaches to
successfully reclaim the land after mining is complete. It is
gratifying that the federal government has recognized the success
of our approach to reclamation with its highest honor in five of
the last eight years—this is a tremendous accomplishment by
everyone at Cloud Peak Energy.”
Cloud Peak Energy’s mines have received the Excellence in
Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Award in 2009 (Spring Creek Mine),
2010 (Antelope Mine), 2014 (Antelope Mine) and 2015 (Cordero Rojo
Mine). The mines received the awards for various projects
reclaiming previously mined areas and successfully reintroducing
native plants.
“The long-term benefits of the successful establishment of
vegetative diversity is exactly what reclamation should look like,”
added Dave Schwend, General Manager of the Spring Creek Mine. “The
success of these practices at the Spring Creek Mine provides a
pathway for other mining operations. These reclamation methods
utilized can be implemented at other mining operations throughout
the west, thereby promoting the establishment of similarly
productive and valuable habitats.”
In addition to the 2017 reclamation award, Cloud Peak Energy’s
Antelope and Cordero Rojo Mines were also partners in the 2017
OSMRE Good Neighbor Award presented to the Thunder Basin Grasslands
Prairie Ecosystem Association for the collaborative effort among
colleagues (within and among mines), neighbors, lessees, government
agencies and local agricultural producers to implement coordinated
conservation projects that reach beyond permit obligations to
positively impact regional conservation efforts and land management
decisions.
Spring Creek mined and shipped approximately 10.3 million tons
of low sulfur coal in 2016. Coal mined from Spring Creek is shipped
primarily to electric utilities and industrial customers in the
northwest, midwest, northeast and southwest United States, various
Canadian provinces and exported to Asian utility customers via the
Westshore terminal in British Columbia, Canada.
About Cloud Peak Energy®
Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE:CLD) is headquartered in Wyoming
and is one of the largest U.S. coal producers and the only
pure-play Powder River Basin coal company. As one of the safest
coal producers in the nation, Cloud Peak Energy mines low sulfur,
subbituminous coal and provides logistics supply services. The
Company owns and operates three surface coal mines in the PRB, the
lowest cost major coal producing region in the nation. The Antelope
and Cordero Rojo mines are located in Wyoming and the Spring Creek
Mine is located in Montana. In 2016, Cloud Peak Energy shipped
approximately 59 million tons from its three mines to customers
located throughout the U.S. and around the world. Cloud Peak Energy
also owns rights to substantial undeveloped coal and complementary
surface assets in the Northern PRB, further building the Company’s
long-term position to serve Asian export and domestic customers.
With approximately 1,300 total employees, the Company is widely
recognized for its exemplary performance in its safety and
environmental programs. Cloud Peak Energy is a sustainable fuel
supplier for approximately three percent of the nation’s
electricity.
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Cloud Peak Energy Inc.Rick Curtsinger,
720-566-2948Director, Public Affairs