UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Washington, DC 20240

 

May 6, 2011

 

In Reply Refer To:

3500/3600/3800 (320) P

 

EMS TRANSMISSION 05/17/2011

Instruction Memorandum No. 2011-112

Expires:  09/30/2012

 

To:                   All Field Officials

 

From:               Assistant Director, Minerals and Realty Management

 

Subject:           Bureau of Land Management 2011 Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral

 

Program Areas: Locatable Minerals (3800), Mineral Materials (3600), and Solid Leasable Minerals (3500).

 

Purpose: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Awards program, initiated in April 2003, recognizes solid mineral operators who have made exemplary contributions to solid minerals (non-coal) development. This Instruction Memorandum (IM) provides updated information relating to the 2011 awards program, including the details related to state office review of nominations and the selection process. The five award categories are The Hardrock Mineral Environmental Award, The Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic Security Award, The Hardrock Mineral Small Operator Award, The Hardrock Mineral Director’s Award, and The “Fix A Shaft Today!” (FAST!) Award. The purpose of the awards is to recognize work in any of the three components of sustainable development: environmental health, social responsibility, and economic security.

 

Policy/Action: The Department of the Interior (DOI) created the Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Awards program to showcase some of the finest examples of responsible mineral resource development. The award winners embody our understanding of sustainable development—development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet future needs.

 

Attachment 1 is a detailed description of the 2011 awards program and includes information on the nomination and selection processes. State offices are to receive and initially process nominations, including verifying the information that is submitted with a nomination and determining if the nominee is in compliance with all applicable regulations. The compliance verification process for a mining operation should include a site visit conducted by appropriate BLM personnel.  When a nominee is not regulated by the BLM, the state office must obtain written confirmation from the regulator that the nominee is in compliance. After preparing a Statement of Findings for each nomination, state offices are requested to forward all nominations and an accompanying Statement of Findings to the Washington Office, Division of Solid Minerals (WO-320) by June 2, 2011. The documents should be sent by Federal Express to:

 

 

Timeframe: June 2, 2011 is the deadline for state offices to send nominations and accompanying Statement of Findings to WO-320

 

Budget Impact: The anticipated budget impact of this award program to the field is minimal.

 

Background: The DOI, through the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, has presented reclamation awards to coal operations since 1986. In 2002, the Department requested that the BLM institute its own awards program and that the program be open to solid mineral (non-coal) operations nationally without regard to land ownership. 

 

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: No manual or handbook sections are affected. 

 

Coordination: Coordination activities for this award program are ongoing. The awards event will be held in the fall of 2011.

 

Contact: If you have any questions concerning the content of this IM, please contact me at 202-208-4201, or your staff may contact Mary Linda Ponticelli, Division of Solid Minerals, at 202-912-7115 or Mary_Ponticelli@blm.gov or Frank Martin, Acting Chief, Division of Solid Minerals at 202-912-7114

 

 

Signed by:                                                                  Authenticated by:

Michael Nedd                                                              Robert M. Williams

Assistant Director                                                       Division of IRM Governance,WO-560

Minerals and Realty Management

 

 

1 Attachment