OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING
      RECLAMATION & ENFORCEMENT

For Release October 9, 1995                     Jerry Childress (202) 208-2719


                INTERIOR SECRETARY BABBITT ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF
                EXCELLENCE IN SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AWARDS

      Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today announced that
coal mine operators in Kentucky, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming are winners of 1994
Excellence in Surface Mining Reclamation Awards.  This is the
ninth year that the awards have been given.

      The awards are sponsored by Interior's Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), the agency responsible
for regulating the environmental impacts of coal production. 
Nominations from coal mine operators were first judged by state
mining and reclamation agencies.  State-level winners were then
judged by a panel of experts from OSM, the U.S. Bureau of Mines,
and the U.S. Geological Survey.

      McKay Coal Company's Woodall Mine near Ohl, Pennsylvania,
won the prestigious OSM Director's Award for 1994.  The focus of
the award changes each year; for 1994, it was for the best
reclamation that prevented or eliminated acid mine drainage.  One
of OSM's highest priorities is restoring rivers and streams
polluted by acid drainage from abandoned coal mines. 

      Although McKay encountered unexpected problems caused by an
abandoned room-and-pillar deep mine complex at the site, it
recovered the coal economically, eliminated acid mine drainage
from the abandoned deep mine, and established a productive
wildlife habitat at the reclaimed mine site.   
      
      Other winners include:  

--    Jamieson Construction Company, Atkinstown, Kentucky, for
      exemplary reclamation of a sensitive site adjacent to the
      habitat of an endangered species, the Cumberland Bean Mus-
      sel, and restoration of a tributary of the Rockcastle River
      watershed, which is classified as an "outstanding water
      resource."

--    Branham and Baker Coal Company operations near Pikeville,
      Kentucky, for reclamation of a 1,200-acre site for wildlife
      habitat.  The company will donate the land to the U.S. Army
      Corps of Engineers' Fishtrap Reservoir, next to the mine
      site, and establish a $100,000 escrow account derived from a
      fee on mined coal for long-term land management.

--    Cumberland River Coal Company, Ridgeline Mine, Jackson,
      Kentucky, for reclamation that created a fish and wildlife
      habitat, including an 11-acre permanent lake with nine
      islands that provide secure nesting sites for geese.

--    Lee Ranch Coal Company, Lee Ranch Mine, Milan, New Mexico,
      for reclaiming the site into self-sustaining rangeland and
      wildlife habitat in a semi-arid environment.  The company
      used fire and other control methods to reestablish native
      vegetation on the site.  

--    Falkirk Mining Company, Falkirk Mine, Underwood, North
      Dakota, for its sensitive treatment of human skeletal re-
      mains uncovered during mining.  Falkirk went beyond require-
      ments, working closely with state archeologists and tribal
      representatives who removed and examined the remains before
      their transfer to the custody of the North Dakota Intertrib-
      al Reinterment Committee.

--    Peabody Coal Company, Broken Aro Mine, Coshocton, Ohio, for
      reclamation of a 100-acre coal slurry disposal area into a
      diverse and productive habitat for wild turkeys.  Today, the
      reclaimed land is part of the National Watchable Wildlife
      Program.

--    B&N Coal, near Dexter City, Ohio, for reclaiming an area
      containing several miles of highwalls, as well as acid water
      pits and highly toxic and erodible materials that were
      polluting nearby streams.  Wetlands created by this reclama-
      tion project will continue to improve water quality in the
      area in years to come.

--    Rawl Sales & Processing Company, Matewan, West Virginia, for
      building a bridge across the Tug Fork River, near Sprigg,
      West Virginia, which benefited the company by reducing coal
      hauling distance and cost.  The bridge also benefited the
      community of Williamson and other small towns in the area by
      eliminating coal truck traffic through downtown areas.  Rawl
      also built a modern playground in Sprigg.

--    Bridger Coal Company, Jim Bridger Mine, Rock Springs, Wyo-
      ming, for pioneering innovative wildlife management tech-
      niques during reclamation of a highwall and spoil site on
      the western edge of the state's Red Desert, which had become
      a significant nesting site for hawks and other birds of
      prey.  The company's efforts included:  assessing the histo-
      ry of raptor pairs to predict conflicts, providing alterna-
      tive nesting sites, moving chicks, and removing eggs for
      incubation.

      OSM Director Robert J. Uram presented the awards at the
National Mining Association's annual meeting in Salt Lake City,
Utah, on Monday, October 9, 1995.  "These projects show the kind
of quality reclamation the coal industry can achieve.  I congrat-
ulate this year's award winners for demonstrating just how well
the surface mining law works," he said.   
      
      OSM administers national standards requiring environmental
protection during coal mining and land reclamation afterward. 
The agency provides support and oversight for approved state
regulatory and reclamation programs and directly carries out such
activities on federal and Indian lands.  OSM was established in
the Interior Department under the authority of the Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. 

                                     -DOI-