Alliance is committed to restoring the areas around our mines upon completion of mining activities. Our goal is to leave the land in a better condition than it was prior to mining operations. Below are two examples of successful Alliance restoration projects.
During mining in Western Kentucky at Hopkins County Coal, Alliance impacted 660 acres of hardwood wetlands. After mining was completed, Alliance restored the wetlands with more than 40,000 seedlings, many of which are growing at the exceptional rate of 2-3 feet per year. Although Alliance only impacted 660 acres, we revitalized nearly 1,200 additional acres, meaning over 1,800 acres have been returned to a natural state as of 2009. Of this acreage, 734 acres have been transferred to the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife for further use.
In Eastern Kentucky, Alliance successfully restored 200 acres of wetlands in the Dollar Branch area as part of a Compensatory Mitigation project. For this project, which was not on Alliance-mined lands, we worked with state and federal agencies, environmental groups, and the bankrupt owner of the Dollar Branch site. Prior to mitigation, the water in the Dollar Branch area was very acidic and high in iron content. After the efforts of Alliance and its partners on this project, the water was restored to normal pH and iron levels.
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