OSMRE Recognizes Thunder Basin Coal Company with Good Neighbor Award

WASHINGTON – The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has named the Thunder Basin Coal Company as the recipient of the 2023 Good Neighbor Award in recognition of its corporate citizenship at the Black Thunder and Coal Creek mines in Wyoming. The Good Neighbor Award is presented to a mine operator for successfully working with the surrounding landowners and the community while completing mining and reclamation.  

“It takes corporate stewards, citizen public servants, and all levels of government working in partnership to ensure that land mined for coal is reclaimed, so future generations can enjoy and use all of our lands,” said Deputy Director Glenda Owens.

Thunder Basin Coal Company works to protect and reclaim ecosystems during and after the mining process and has made substantial efforts to promote avian populations. Most recently, a golden eagle and a great horned owl were rescued by the company at Coal Creek Mine. A partnership between Thunder Basin, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game and Fish, the University of Idaho, and other partners tracks burrowing owls, and has funded projects to help provide habitat for the greater sage grouse. Thunder Basin has worked with biologists to study local mule deer movements.

Thunder Basin Coal Company has donated approximately $330,000 over the last three years to local nonprofits through its SABERS program, which fosters conversations within its workforce about personal safety and work safety. Each year, students tour the mines and learn about coal geology, mining, and the reclamation process. In 2022, mine personnel completed presentations to over 500 area elementary students. 

“It is a well-deserved honor for the employees of Black Thunder and Coal Creek mines to be nationally recognized by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement,” said Jamie Olson, manager of environmental affairs, Arch Resources, Inc., Thunder Basin Coal Company. “The award reflects the company’s efforts and commitment to exemplary corporate citizenship.”

For more information on the Good Neighbor Award, visit www.osmre.gov/programs/excellence-in-surface-coal-mining-reclamation-award-recipients.

- OSMRE -

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement carries out the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in cooperation with States and Tribes. OSMRE’s objectives are to ensure that coal mining activities are conducted in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining, to ensure that the land is restored to beneficial use after mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines.