OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING
For Release May 3, 1990 
Jerry Childress (202) 208-2719

INTERIOR SECRETARY LUJAN ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF O.S.M.'S FOURTH
ANNUAL EXCELLENCE IN SURFACE MINING AWARDS

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan today announced that coal
mining operations in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,
Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia are
winners in the fourth annual Excellence in Surface Mining
Reclamation Competition.

"The nominees and winners of this year's national competition have
established hallmarks of excellence in America's coal industry for
safeguarding the environment and reclaiming the land," Lujan said. 
 "Their strong commitment to restoring mined lands for productive
use truly shines like a point of light."

The Midwest Division of Peabody Coal Company won the prestigious
Office of Surface Mining Director's Award for outstanding
reclamation efforts which transformed the inactive Will Scarlet
Mine near Marion, Illinois, into an 8,000-acre wetland area.

The other winners in the 1989 national competition, sponsored by
the Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining (OSM), are:

--Drumond Coal Company, Kellerman No. 2 Mine, Brookwood, Alabama,
nominated by the Alabama Surface Mining Commission, for a
l,500-acre reclamation project including extensive reforestation
and wetlands creation over a 10-year period.

--Lee Jay Corporatlon, Clarksvllle Coal Refuse Dump, Clarksville,
Pennsylvania, nominated by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Resources, for reclaiming a 29-acre area, including
a 20-acre refuse pile which is now the site of a municipal sewage
treatment plant.

--Vigo Coal Company, Discovery No. 1 Mine, Buckskin, Indiana,
nominated by the Reclamation Division, Indiana Department of
Natural Resources, for wetlands reclamation in the Marchand
Wildlife Area in southern Gibson County.

--Southern Ohio Coal Company, Martinka No. 1 Mine, Fairmont, West
Virginia, nominated by the West Virginia Department of Energy, for
its environmental commitment to surface landowners affected by
underground mining.

--Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., Bee Veer Mine, Clifton
Hill, Missouri, nominated by the Missouri Department of Natural
Resources, for developing a system to recover slurry coal from Bee
Veer pond, which will both improve the environment and save
Missouri electric users an estimated $30 million over the life of
the project.


--Basin Cooperative Services, Glenharold Mine, Startton, North
Dakota, nominated by the North Dakota Public Service Commission,
for pioneering native grass and woodlands planting techniques Which
have resulted in establishing more than 2,200 acres of native
grassland and 120 acres of woodlands at the Glenharold site since
1978.

--Texas Utilities Mining Company, Monticello-Winfield North Lignite
Mine, Mount Pleasant, Texas, nominated by the Surface Mining and
Reclamation Division, Railroad Commission of Texas, for exemplary
reclamation at the Monticello-Winfield North site, where a 439-acre
post-mining area now consists of 81 percent grasslands, 14 percent
woodlands, and 5 percent wetlands.

--R & S Coal Company, J&B No. 3 Mine, Lamar, Arkansas, nominated by
the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology,
recognized for outstanding reclamation by a small coal operator,
for its efforts in reclaiming 27 acres of abandoned highwalls and
spoil piles into-prime pasture land.

The winners have, once again, shown the kind of respect for our
land amd resources which makes it possible for Americans to enjoy
the energy and economic benefits from coal mining while protecting
the quality and beauty of our environment," LuJan said.

Secretary LuJan will present the national awards at the American
Mining Congress Coal Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 8, 1990. 
Winners were selected by a panel of Judges from OSM, the Bureau of
Mines, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

-DOI-