FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2003)- A college, a coal company, a mining operation and a national forest were honored with Environmental Excellence Awards last week. The Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet (NREPC) presented 19 such honors during the Governor’s Conference on the Environment in Lexington on Oct. 27.

The eastern Kentucky area winners were:

• Berea College
• Jamieson Construction, Pitman Creek mining operation in Bell County
• Chisolm Coal, Pike County permit #898-5908
• Daniel Boone National Forest

Berea College won the Environmental Excellence Award for Energy Conservation. Its goal is to update its campus with high-performance buildings that use energy and water more efficiently and effectively. As a result of its efforts, Berea College has already retrofitted two of its campus’ historic buildings to use 50 percent less energy. Renovations include a new central atrium, improved insulation, high-performance insulated glass, operable windows and energy efficient lighting. One of these buildings, Lincoln Hall, will be Kentucky’s first building to be certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

One of two recipients of the Environmental Excellence Award for Mining Reclamation—Eastern Kentucky is Jamieson Construction. This 223.5-acre surface and auger mining operation is located in Pitman Creek in Bell County. Reclamation efforts are very visible today. The site now has 100 percent seed germination with little or no erosion. The former mine site is now filled with rock lined channels to prevent erosion and off site sedimentation. Although not required, Jamieson surfaced all the haul roads within the permit with durable limestone, which helps the overall appearance of the mine as well as helps maintain water quality.

Chisolm Coal is the other winner of the Environmental Excellence Award for Mining Reclamation—Eastern Kentucky. Chisolm Coal Co. is a self-contained deep mine, preparation plant and refuse facility comprising approximately 4,200 acres, of which 350 are surface acres. Since depleting its coal reserves Chisolm Coal was faced with dismantling and reclaiming large buildings, the preparation plant, a dry refuse fill, a slurry impoundment and a bridge beltline. The innovative demolition techniques used by Chisolm Coal during the reclamation process will be an example to others in the industry. Although still ongoing, Chisolm Coal’s reclamation responsibilities continue as the company works to shape and backfill areas to original contour.

The Environmental Excellence Award for Heritage Land Conservation was awarded to the Daniel Boone National Forest for its achievements in protecting and preserving biodiversity through the forest’s land and resource acquisition program. The Daniel Boone National Forest is the largest area of publicly owned land in Kentucky. Encompassing 700,000 acres, it is home to 36 endangered species and more than 161 additional plants and animals considered locally rare and sensitive. It also contains more than 1,500 caves and hundreds of miles of clifflines that provide habitat for endangered and sensitive species. In 2003, with support from conservation entities such as The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land, the forest has been able to acquire more than 2,000 acres in the Rockcastle River watershed and more than 1,100 acres of a world-class plant ecology site adjacent to Laurel River Lake.

Environmental Excellence Awards are presented annually and nominations are solicited from citizens and businesses across the state.