NMA, Federal Agencies Join Forces to Honor Top Technology Leaders in Mining Industry

Officials of the National Mining Association (NMA), the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the U.S Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), gathered today to honor top safety, environmental and technology leaders in the mining industry.

Safety

NMA’s Sentinels of Safety Award recognizes coal and mineral mining operations in 20 categories for recording the most hours in a calendar year without a single lost-time injury. A minimum of 4,000 hours is required for award consideration. The award categories reflect the safety accomplishments of both small and large mines.

Twenty American mining operations – six coal mines and 14 mineral/metal mines – were honored with the award recognizing performance in 2016.

“2016 was the safest year in mining’s history,” said Hal Quinn, NMA president and CEO. “These awards are an important reminder that modern mining has made great strides to ensure the safety of all of our miners and, to continue this progress, our vigilance is required through each and every shift.”

Initiated in 1925 by then Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, a former mining engineer, the Sentinels of Safety Award program remains the nation’s most prestigious recognition of mine safety and has helped foster a strong safety commitment on the part of U.S. mines.

Recipients include:

Large Group

• Coal Processing Facility: Ceredo Dock – Kanawha River Terminals, LLC
• Dredge: Briggs Plant – Fordyce Holdings, Inc.
• Metal Nonmetal Mill: Barrick Cortez – Barrick Gold Corporation
• Open Pit: South Arturo Mine – Barrick Gold Corporation
• Surface Coal: Freedom Mine – North American Coal Corporation
• Underground Coal: Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 – Signal Peak Energy, LLC
• Underground Metal: Barrick Cortez Underground – Barrick Gold Corporation
• Underground Nonmetal: Cargill Salt Group, Cleveland – Cargill, Inc.
• Bank or Pit: Murphy Plant – Fordyce Holdings, Inc.
• Quarry: St. Genevieve Facility – Tower Rock Stone Co.

Small Group

• Bank or Pit: Loveland Ready-Mix Concrete – Loveland Ready-Mix Concrete
• Coal Processing Facility: Midway Coal Handling Facility – Armstrong Coal Co, Inc.
• Dredge: Portage Aggregate & Supply LLC
• Metal Nonmetal Mill: Curtin Gap Quarry – Hanson Aggregates Pennsylvania LLC
• Open Pit: Siderite Mine – Sidco Minerals Inc.
• Quarry: Walker Stone – Walker Stone
• Surface Coal: Three Mile Mine #1 – CAM Mining LLC
• Underground Coal: Coon Cedar Grove Mine – Marfork Coal Co., LLC
• Underground Metal: Buick Mine/Mill – The Doe Run Co.
• Underground Nonmetal: Decker’s Creek Limestone Co – Decker’s Creek Limestone Co.

Environmental, Reclamation and Community Contributions

Five U.S. coal and hardrock mining companies won awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior for their outstanding environmental performance, mine reclamation accomplishments and community outreach programs.

“NMA is grateful to the Department of the Interior for showcasing how modern mining practices are protecting the environment while producing the minerals and energy Americans need,” said NMA’s Quinn. “We are especially proud of the five NMA members recognized for their exceptional environmental performance and commitment to the communities in which they work.”

OSMRE 2017 winners include:

• National Award: Coal Mac, LLC (Arch Coal) Pine Creek 2 Surface Mine, Omar, West Virginia
• National Award: Cloud Peak Energy Spring Creek Mine, Decker, Montana
• Good Neighbor Award: Thunder Basin Grasslands Prairie Ecosystem Association (the award lists five current or former association members: Arch Coal, Cloud Peak Energy, Contura Energy, Kiewit Mining Group and Peabody)

BLM 2017 winners include:

• Hardrock Mineral Environmental Award: Teck American Incorporated
• “Fix a Shaft Today”: Havasu 4 Wheelers
• Hardrock Mineral Small Operator Award: Tertiary Minerals, US Inc.
• Hardrock Mineral Small Operator Award: XII Caesars Gold LLC

Technology

In addition, NIOSH awarded Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovations Awards, which recognize the significant advancements in mining technology by the mining industry that have made mining both safer and more productive.

“This year’s NIOSH awardees – all of whom are NMA members – are prime examples of modern mining’s highly innovative culture that constantly applies technological advancements to achieve production, safety and environmental objectives,” said NMA’s Quinn. “We applaud their efforts and leadership in this important area.”

The following companies were recognized for 2017:

• Freeport-McMoRan
• Kinross Gold
• Peabody