With 90 awards for reclamation excellence over the past 40 years, Luminant is keeping the streak alive. It has recently won both the Interstate Mining Compact Commission’s (IMCC) 2014 National Mine Reclamation Award in the coal category and the Railroad Commission of Texas’ 2014 Coal Mining Reclamation Award. The award submittals featured Luminant’s unique approach to reclaiming the B Mining Area, located in the southern portion of the company’s Big Brown Mine in Freestone County. As part of the reclamation project, Luminant transformed the final 2.6-km long mining pit into a large lake, which provides a rare opportunity for genetic research of largemouth bass through a partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“Luminant and its employees continue to set the bar for environmental performance and these awards are a testament to our company’s commitment to innovative reclamation best practices,” said Carl Ivy, Luminant Environmental Manager. “We’ve proudly partnered with Texas Parks and Wildlife for more than 30 years, and this project will benefit the citizens of Texas and the nation in the advancement of fisheries management.”
Luminant has been honoured with IMCC’s National Mine Reclamation Award, one of the highest reclamation achievements, twice since 1997 and received multiple honourable mentions since 1989, while also earning 14 RCT awards since 1987.
“This award reflects [Luminant’s] dedication to the maintenance of environmental protection through efficient mining and reclamation practices,” wrote Gregory Conrad, IMCC Executive Director. “[The company’s] efforts are representative of the commitment to responsible mining and reclamation practices demonstrated by the industry and are sincerely appreciated.”
John Caudle, RCT Surface Mining and Reclamation Division Director, said in announcing the state award, “The reclamation process described in [Luminant’s] submittal truly represents a commitment to reclamation that leaves mined land in a condition that will benefit wildlife and human occupation for generations and more.”
Big Brown Mine’s B Area was mined from 1996 to 2001 and a post-mine land-use plan was developed based on pre-mine and post-mine factors, including vegetation, region, topography, soil type and local economic trends. Today, more than 15,000 acres that have been reclaimed at the mine support a diverse mix of vegetation types and water resources.
Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings, is a power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has more than 15,400 MW of generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fuelled by nuclear power and 8,000 MW fuelled by coal. The company is also one of the largest purchasers of wind-generated electricity in the USA.
