8 pages (includes some color illustrations).
Contains references

University of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

English

Colorado Law

University of Colorado Law School Colorado Law Scholarly Commons Energy Field Tour 2003 (August 11-16) 2003 8-14-2003 Day 4. Thursday, August 14, 2003: Trapper Mine University of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/energy-field-tour-2003  Part of the Administrative Law Commons, Energy and Utilities Law Commons, Energy Policy Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Mining Engineering Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Power and Energy Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Citation Information University of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, "Day 4. Thursday, August 14, 2003: Trapper Mine" (2003). Energy Field Tour 2003 (August 11-16). https://scholar.law.colorado.edu/energy-field-tour-2003/9 Reproduced with permission of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (formerly the Natural Resources Law Center) at the University of Colorado Law School. William A. Wise Law LibraryC o l o r a d oUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDERGetches-Wilkinson Center CollectionDay 4. Thursday, August 14, 2003: Trapper Mine, in En er g y  Field  To u r  2003 (Natural Res. Law Ctr., Univ. o f Colo. Sch. o f Law 2003).Reproduced w ith  perm ission o f the Getches-Wilkinson Center fo r Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environm ent (fo rm erly  the Natural Resources Law Center) at the University o f Colorado Law School.Trapper MineReclamation Success, Trapper Coal Mine Wildlife, Mineral Information institute web site http://www.mii.org/TrapperWild/TrapperWildReclamation Success, Reclamation award for Trapper Mining Inc., Mineral Information Institute web site http://www.mii.org/Trapper/TrapperColorado Mine One o f Three Best Examples o f Reclamation in the United States, Colorado Mining Association press release, September 19, 2002M ineral Inform ation Institute - Reclam ation Successes - Trapper Coal M ine W ildlife Page 1 o f 2RECLAMATION SUCCESSTrapper Coal Mine WildlifeA  threatened bird species has found a comfortable home at a northwest Colorado coal mine, leading to a prestigious reclamation award. The Trapper Mine near Craig, Colorado, was named the nation’s third-best mine reclamation in the past 25 years by the united States Department o f  Interior. Not only has the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse thrived on Trapper’s reclaimed land, but also large herds o f  elk, deer and antelope graze on grassy hillsides where coal once was mined.Even environmentalists, often foes o f  the coal industry, have expressed admiration. A Colorado-based Sierra Club official stated, "We have been watching their operation and I must say w e ’re impressed. They have been very creative and very responsive to the regulations in place."The Trapper Mine employs a meticulous process o f  saving excavated rock and top soil, using it to refill valleys and pits left by coal mining, and then seeding the reclaimed swaths with a variety o f  plants and grasses.Drainage reconstruction before replanting and after grasses and shrubs were established.M ining and reclamation operate on a continuous cycle, with reclamation specialists m oving in after each section o f  coal is mined. About 3,000 acres o f  the 10,000-acre mine have been reclaimed. The mine has enough coal to operate at least until 2014. Areas that were first mined when operations began in 1977 are now mature reclaimed landscapes that support elk, deer, antelope, birds and numerous other species.The reclaimed sections are so rife with wildlife that Trapper’s environmental manager recently drove his pickup truck less than a half-mile from his office before encountering a herd o f  about 100 elk and a handful o f  pronghorn antelope. Winter surveys o f  elk population on 35,000 acres that include the mine and surrounding properties show more than a tenfold increase from the m id-1970’s before mining started, to a recent count completed last year. Mule deer populations have remained steady before and during mining. N o antelope were discovered in a pre-mining survey; the recent count showed 43 antelope.http://www.m ii.org/TrapperW ild/TrapperW ild.htm l 7/15/2003M ineral Inform ation Institute - Reclam ation S uccesses - Trapper Coal M ine W ild life Page 2 o f  2Perhaps the m ine’s most notable wildlife recovery is the return on the sharp-tailed grouse. Once one o f  the most abundant game birds in North America, the sharp-tailed grouse in recent decades has lost more that 80 percent o f  its Western habitat to encroachment from farming, livestock  overgrazing and non-native vegetation. But the grouse has found reclaimed mine land to be a choice location. A  survey showed grouse on reclaimed property had higher annual survival rates and better fertility rates than grouse on native habitat outside the mine property.Trapper produces about 2 m illion tons o f  coal per year, all o f  which is sold to an adjacent power plant. The m ine’s coal generates power for about 500,000 homes in Colorado and several other Western states.From an article in The Denver Post, 11/12/02I More Reclamation Stories II For Teachers Only I | Poster Packets I | Homework Help For Studcntsl | About M il | | Back to Main Ihttp://www.m ii.org/TrapperW ild/TrapperW ild.htm l 7 /15 /2003ituni/iiu iiuviiiiauun lujuLuiv/ - ivwiajiiaLiun outccsacs *http://www.mii.org/Trapper/Trapper.htmIRECLAMATION SUCCESSRECLAMATION AWARD FOR TRAPPER MINING INC.Recognized for their outstanding reclamation efforts over the past 22 years, Trapper Mining Inc. received the Colorado Division o f  Minerals and G eology and The Colorado Mining Association Large Surface Coal Mine Award in November, 2000. This particular award was given for outstanding reclamation and the reestablishment o f  Columbian sharp-tailed grouse habitat at the Trapper Mine in Craig, Colorado.This is a significant accomplishment particularly in light o f  the fact that the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse have been considered for listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The broader issue, however, is that Trapper Mine is committed to providing the following:° habitat in the form o f  diverse, adapted, and sustainable reclaimed plant communities.0 stock ponds in areas where other drinking water sources are scarce.0 available wildlife and livestock forage that is twice to four times more abundant than in pre-mining areas.Congratulations to the management and staff of Trapper Mine !Diverse, adapted, sustainable reclaimed plant co m m u n itiesMore Reclamation S_tories jI lor  Teachers Only I | Poster Packets I | Homework Help For StudentsI I About M il  I I Back to Main Iwny Are wnaiife Flourishing?Stock Ponds Provide otherwise scarce drinking water2 of 3 7/25/2003 10:17AMCOLORADO MININGa s s o c i a t i o nNEWS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: STUART A. SANDERSON SEPTEMBER 19, 2002 303/575-9199Colorado Mine One of Three Best Examples Of Reclamation in the United States Trapper Mine Wins Bronze Award in Olympics of Coal Mine Reclamation:Interior Department 25 Year Achievement AwardThe Trapper Mine, a surface coal mining operation located near Craig, is one o f the three best examples o f mined land reclamation in the 25 year history o f the federal surface mining law, according to the Interior Department’s Office o f Surface Mining (OSM). OSM, the federal agency that administers the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act o f 1977 (SMCRA), honored the company at a ceremony in Washington, DC on September 18. Interior Assistant Secretary Rebecca Watson presented the award to Trapper Mine Chairman Bill Arnett, General Manager Ray DuBois, Environmental Manager Forrest Luke, Safety Manager Karl Koehler and Reclamation Supervisor Billy Nicholson.These awards were presented as part o f the special 25th anniversary o f the surface mining law. The three award winning mines were identified from throughout the United States as exemplifying the best reclamation during the 25-year history o f  SMCRA. This special one-time award was open only to previous national reclamation award winners. (Trapper was a national award winner in 1991). SMCRA is a comprehensive federal law whose enactment in 1977 marked the beginning o f modem surface and underground coal mine regulation. The law requires coal mine operators to meet tough environmental standards during the development o f  a coal mine and further provides for the orderly and complete restoration o f areas following the conclusion o f  such operations.Trapper won the bronze award for its outstanding reclamation and environmental compliance, highlighted by superior establishment o f wildlife habitat and implementation o f  an innovative and effective sediment and erosion control program. Elk, sharp-tail grouse (a species generally in decline throughout the United States) and other wildlife are thriving on the reclaimed lands.Stuart Sanderson, President o f the Colorado Mining Association, praised the company, and the state o f  Colorado, which regulates surface coal mining throughout the state under a program approved by OSM more than 20 years ago, for their joint commitment to protecting the environment. “This historic achievement shows that mining, environmental and wildlife protection are compatible values. We can enjoy the benefits from coal production, whichprovides low cost electricity that meets more than 80% of Colorado’s electricity needs, while preserving and even improving environmental conditions. The mining industry in Colorado is honored that OSM has recognized the Trapper Mine as one o f the best examples o f  reclamation in the history o f modem coal mine regulation.”“Although the company’s achievement is truly outstanding, excellence in reclamation is by no means an isolated occurrence in Colorado,” Sanderson added. In fact, “Colorado coal mines have received continuous recognition by state and federal regulators during the past 25 years.” Several mines in Colorado have achieved state and/or national reclamation honors, including Colorado Yampa Coal Company’s Mine 1 and Eckman Park Mine, Kennecott Energy’s Colowyo Coal Mine, Western Fuels New Horizon Mine, Seneca Coal Company’s Seneca Mine and many others.Prior to the Trapper award, the most recent national honor went to the Colorado Yampa Coal’s Mine 1 and Eckman Park Mine, (Colorado Yampa is a subsidiary of RAG American Coal Holding, Inc.) In 2001, OSM presented that company with an Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Award for exemplary efforts in restoring the mined land to productive post­mining land use. The company also operates the Twentymile Coal Mine in Routt County, the state’s largest coal mining operation.Trapper Mine “Best of the Best” for Commitment to Wildlife PreservationTrapper General manager Ray DuBois stated, “the employees o f Trapper Mining Inc., both past and current, are very honored to receive this prestigious reclamation award, particularly in light o f all the outstanding reclamation that is occurring at other mines throughout Colorado and in other regions o f the United States.” He further stated that, “Trapper remains committed to the continued development o f reclamation practices aimed at improving mined land reclamation performance.”Trapper Environmental Manager Forrest Luke added, “wildlife species have shown a remarkably positive response to mining and reclamation operations at Trapper. The overall numbers and diversity of wildlife utilizing Trapper reclaimed lands is unparalleled in the history o f the mining industry.” To illustrate this point, big game aerial surveys have shown a ten-fold increase in elk numbers within the Trapper Mine permit area from before mining began in 1977 through the present time. Pronghorn antelope numbers have increased from zero before mining and reclamation operations began to several hundred currently.Sharp-tail Grouse In Decline, Except at TrapperColumbian sharp-tailed grouse are also thriving on Trapper’s reclaimed lands. While populations o f  Columbian sharptails have declined precipitously over most o f their western U.S. range, in stark contrast they are rapidly increasing on mined land reclamation at Trapper and other northwest Colorado mining operations. In further support o f the recovery o f  Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, Trapper is contributing to ongoing research conducted through the University o f  Idaho to better understand the population trends and behaviors of sharptails and to identify specific reclamation practices that result in favorable habitat establishment.Despite mining on steep slopes that create particularly difficult erosion control challenges, Trapper has created a very successful and innovative integrated sediment and erosion control program. One important component o f the program includes the use o f rock checkstructures and various natural and synthetic erosion control materials to stabilize and armor reconstructed water runoff channels. Other innovative components involve the use o f water harvesting diversions and small erosion control ponds to trap sediment and reduce erosion during the early stages o f  reclamation.Colorado’s twelve coal mines produced more than 33.4 million tons o f  high quality, low- sulfur coal in 2001 to meet the tough standards of the Clean Air Act. Coal mined in Colorado is used to meet the bulk o f  the state’s electricity needs, but also provides an important export market to the eastern states, to federal authorities such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and to foreign countries, including Pacific Rim nations.The Colorado Mining Association (CMA) is an industry association whose more than 500 members include individuals and companies engaged in mineral production and development throughout the west, equipment manufacturers, and those who provide engineering, consulting, environmental, legal, accounting and other services to Colorado’s $8 billion industry.

Day 4. Thursday, August 14, 2003: Trapper Mine

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Day 4. Thursday, August 14, 2003: Trapper Mine

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