COLUMBUS, OH - Penn-Ohio Coal Company in Tuscarawas County has received the top award for excellence in mine reclamation, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) announced. The 2004 Floyd G. Durham Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Reclamation by a Small Operator was given by the Interstate Mining Compact Commission.
The ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management nominated Penn-Ohio for its excellence in reclamation based on achievement in five categories, including compliance with reclamation standards, water drainage control at mine sites, and innovative practices. The mining operation also received the ODNR Coal Mining Reclamation Award in 2003 for its use of versatile problem-solving field techniques.
Penn-Ohio Coal Company produces about 270,000 tons of coal annually at its 650-acre Yorktown Pit in Tuscarawas County. The pit contains virtually every category of special mining techniques, including historic landmark avoidance, stream channel avoidance, coal waste disposal, and steep slope mining.
"Through its perseverance in developing and pursuing detailed mining and reclamation plans, this small operator has achieved better compliance, better landowner relations and better reclamation," said Mike Sponsler, chief of the Division of Mineral Resources Management.
Martin Marietta Material's Fairborn Sand and Gravel Mine in Clark County also earned an honorable mention in the non-coal category. Ohio is a member of the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, a multi-state governmental organization representing the natural resource interests of its member states in Washington, D.C. Each year the commission recognizes coal and non-coal mining companies across the country that have demonstrated excellence in reclamation.