WCI Case Study | February 2008
Rio Tinto Energy America (RTEA) owns and operates Jacobs Ranch Mine, located in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, approximately 50 miles south of Gillette. The mine has a total permit area of approximately 15,600 acres, and conducts a traditional surface mining operation that produces sub-bituminous coal.
Sharing the land with Jacobs Ranch Mine, among the antelope, deer and small prey, is a herd of approximately 400 elk that comprise the Rochelle Hills elk herd.
The herd originated during the early 1950s when an area landowner imported approximately 12 elk from a Montana game farm and released them into the hills. Since then, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has documented a steady herd growth with rapid increase in recent years.
Reclaimed Land at Jacobs Ranch Mine.
Jacobs Ranch Mine follows Rio Tinto’s environmental standards, which exceed the minimum of regulatory compliance. These standards include air quality, water quality and quantity, mineral waste management, non-mineral waste management, hazardous material and contamination control, noise and vibration control, land use stewardship, acid rock drainage, greenhouse gas emissions and environmental management systems. RTEA is also ISO-14001 certified, which requires the company to follow international standards that emphasise rigorous environmental programmes to ensure continuous improvement.
The reclamation efforts at Jacobs Ranch Mine reflect the principals of the land use stewardship standards by helping to enhance the condition and classification of approximately 730 acres of land, from rangeland in the pre-mining stage to crucial elk winter range in the post-mining reclamation stage. The classification of crucial elk winter range was determined independently by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Through monitoring and inspections, Jacobs Ranch Mine demonstrated that these reclaimed lands had been backfilled and contoured to meet the approved post-mining topography; contained topsoil of appropriate quality and depth that provides a vegetative growth medium; and showed established vegetation through the planting of an approved seed mix. Through successful maintenance the post-mining land uses were equivalent or superior to the pre-mining land uses.
Conservation Easement
Beginning in 2004, RTEA worked closely with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) for the establishment of a nearly 1000 acre conservation easement at Jacobs Ranch Mine to benefit the elk herd. A conservation easement is an agreement between the landowner that is encumbered by the easement and the holder of the easement that restricts the development and use of the land in order to achieve certain conservation goals (such as protection of wildlife habitat). In other words, this easement ensures these described lands will be preserved for wildlife use, indefinitely. The easement includes the 730 reclaimed acres of critical elk wintering habitat. In June 2007, a formal agreement was finalised between RTEA and the RMEF that created the Rochelle Hills Conservation Easement.
“In keeping with our sustainable development goals, the company donated the easement to ensure that the land continues to be used as grazing land and wildlife habitat in the years to come,” RTEA President and CEO Colin Marshall said. “This is an excellent example of sustainable development in that the coal mined from this land provided energy for today’s economic growth, while subsequent quality reclamation will provide sustainable use for future generations.”
The reclamation features of high quality forage, diverse topography, and establishment of water sources in the form of reservoirs have created conditions ideal for the Rochelle Hills elk herd. The number of elk utilising the area of the conservation easement varies with winter conditions, extent of drought, and several other factors. Field observations during winters with intense weather conditions and snow cover have noted 60 to 80 elk using the reclamation component of the easement.
The Rochelle Hills Conservation Easement is the first easement of any type on reclaimed mining lands in Wyoming, and the first RMEF easement on reclaimed lands anywhere in the USA. The area includes four reservoirs, a water well and ten acres of woodlands. Studies have also shown ample productivity and composition of forage. Long term grazing activity and on-going wildlife studies in this area have clearly documented the achievement of land use objectives for the reclaimed lands. By entering into a conservation easement, Jacobs Ranch Mine has taken the final step to ensure that these lands will be protected and that there will always be a place for future generations to enjoy wildlife and open spaces in Wyoming.
The innovative nature of the cooperative conservation easement has been recognised by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department through the agency’s 2007 Wildlife Habitat Reclamation and Stewardship Award. In addition, Jacobs Ranch Mine was recognised by the Wyoming Section of the Society of Range Management through the Excellence in Rangeland Stewardship Award. The mine has also been the recipient of the national Excellence in Surface Mining and Reclamation Award.
Background Information
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat. The Elk Foundation and its partners have permanently protected or enhanced nearly 5 million acres, a land area more than twice as large as Yellowstone National Park. Nearly 500,000 acres previously closed to public access are now open for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Further information is available at: www.rmef.org
The Rio Tinto Group is a world leader in finding, extracting and processing the earth’s mineral resources. Rio Tinto Energy America specialises in the production of low sulphur, sub-bituminous coal, and operates five coal mines located in Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. With a combined workforce of more than 2400 employees, and with the help of hundreds of contractors and suppliers, the company provides fuel to its energy company customers who generate nearly 6% of the nation’s electricity.
For further information on Rio Tinto Energy America visit: www.rtea.com
