BLM Announces 2006 Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Award Winners

DENVER--Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Kathleen Clarke today announced the winners of the 2006 Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Awards. The awards recognize the efforts that have been made in implementing the principles of sustainable development, a concept adopted by the United States and 192 other countries, to balance environmental, economic, and social considerations in planning for mining operations.

The 2006 Hardrock Mineral Environmental Award winner is Meridian Gold’s Beartrack Mine Project near Salmon, Idaho. The 2006 Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic Security Award winner is Coeur Alaska, Inc’s Kensington Gold Mine, in Juneau, Alaska. The 2006 Hardrock Mineral Small Operator Award winners are Mike & Lou Busby, doing business as GeoQuest and Chicken Gold Co. at the Chicken Creek Mine in Chicken, Alaska. The 2006 Hardrock Mineral Director’s Award winner is Idarado Mining Co., a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Co., near Telluride, Colorado.

BLM Director Kathleen Clarke presented the awards to the winners this evening in Washington, D.C., at a joint BLM and Office of Surface Mining awards dinner hosted by the National Mining Association. “All of this year’s award winners illustrate the BLM's concept of sustainable development — maintaining current standards of living while providing for future needs,” Clarke said. “Thanks to their efforts, the public lands will continue to provide a range of resources for present and future generations,” she added.

First presented in 2003, the BLM Sustainable Mineral Development awards are similar to the Department of Interior awards for excellence in coal mining reclamation. The hardrock mining awards enable the Department of Interior to recognize the industrial and metallic minerals industry as well as sand and gravel operators. There are four categories: the Hardrock Mineral Environmental Award, highlights the component of sustainable development that relates to environmental stewardship. The award acknowledges operators with exceptional track records of meeting or exceeding Federal, State, or local reclamation requirements.

The second award, Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic Security Award highlights the component of sustainable development that relates to concern shown for community responsibilities and the economic benefits of mineral development, with an emphasis on successful coordination with local and regional stakeholders. The third category, the Small Operator Award, recognizes achievements in environmental stewardship of operators with less than fifteen employees. Like the Hardrock Mineral Environmental Award, this award recognizes operators who have demonstrated continuous or repeated efforts to successfully meet or exceed Federal, State or local reclamation requirements.

The BLM is presenting a fourth award this year, the first Hardrock Mineral Director’s Award. The Director’s Award is presented for outstanding achievement in a particular area of sustainable development. It was decided that this year’s award would recognize an operator whose dedication and commitment to excellence has resulted in the use of a new or innovative design or technique that allows or enhances successful operations in technically challenging conditions or in critical environmental settings.

Nominations for this year’s hardrock mining awards were first screened by BLM State Office officials, who forwarded the applications to BLM Headquarters for final judging. A panel of judges that included people from outside the BLM completed the judging. Detailed information on the winners is attached.

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