Luminant Wins Award for Mine Reclamation Program
The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining (OSM) presented its Director's Award for advancing the science of reclamation to Luminant.
This is the second consecutive year that Luminant has been recognized with distinction.
"We are extremely honored to be recognized again by the Office of Surface Mining for our reclamation achievements," said Mike Williams, Luminant's chief fossil officer. "Luminant has a history of environmental stewardship and as a company helped set reclamation standards."
The company received the award on Oct. 28 during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The OSM described Luminant's reclamation program as a "model for others in the coal industry to follow."
The company's award entry highlighted the Luminant Environmental Research Program, which began funding studies in 1971 and continues to do so today, some 38 years later. To ensure objectivity, a steering committee composed of leading scientists, educators and advisers guide the program. Students are offered the use of research facilities and living quarters near Luminant's Big Brown Power Plant and Mine near Fairfield, Texas.
Through 2008, Luminant had provided more than $4.6 million in funding for the completion of more than 120 independent, published student theses and dissertations. These studies have focused on numerous environmental disciplines including geology, hydrology, soils, forestry, wildlife and wetlands. The research has not only influenced Luminant's environmental policies and practices but has also provided a technical resource for regulatory agencies and helped establish industrywide practices.
Results from the program's research have also directly influenced the success of Luminant's mining and reclamation efforts.
As a result, the company has:
- reclaimed nearly 65,000 acres for uses such as forests, pastureland and wildlife habitat
- planted almost 28 million trees on company land now certified as a Tree Farm by the Texas Forest Service and the Texas Forestry Association
- increased the extent of prime farmland soils at the Big Brown Mine area from approximately 5 percent to now more than 58 percent
- increased the extent of prime farmland soils at the Monticello Winfield Mine area from 38 percent to more than 65 percent.
Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, construction and development operations. Luminant has more than 16,100 megawatts of existing generation in Texas, including 2,300 MW fueled by nuclear power and 5,800 MW fueled by coal.