Contact: David Quick, 202-452-5138

BLM Announces 2008 Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Awards

Bureau of Land Management Director Jim Caswell today announced in Las Vegas the winners of the 2008 BLM 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.

For this year’s award program, the BLM awarded prizes in two of the four award categories. The 2008 BLM Hardrock Mineral Environmental Award winner is El Paso Corporation’s Comstock Mill Site. The two 2008 BLM Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic Security Award winners are The Barrick Gold Corporation’s Ruby Hill Mine and Thompson Creek Mining Company.

"Encouraging sustainable development – maintaining our high standard of living while providing for future needs – is a high priority for this agency," Director Caswell said. "All of this year’s award winners reflect that priority and will help the public lands continue to meet the demands and needs of present and future generations," he added.

Caswell was joined by Bob Anderson, the BLM’s Deputy Assistant Director for Minerals, Realty, and Resource Protection, in presenting the awards to the winners today at a joint BLM and Office of Surface Mining awards luncheon hosted by the National Mining Association in conjunction with its MINExpo 2008 international exposition.

First presented in 2003, the BLM Sustainable Mineral Development awards are similar to the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining annual awards for excellence in coal mining reclamation. The BLM’s hardrock mining awards enable the Department of Interior to showcase some of the finest examples of responsible mineral development by the industrial- and metallic-minerals industry, as well as sand-and-gravel operators. The possible awards fall into four categories:

• The BLM 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 BLM 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 BLM Small Operator Award recognizes achievements in environmental stewardship of operators with less than 15 employees. Like the BLM 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 Hardrock Mineral Director’s Award may be presented in recognition of outstanding achievement in a particular area of sustainable development.

Nominations for this year’s BLM 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.

For detailed information on the winners, select this link.

-- BLM --