Amerikohl Mining, Inc. leads the mining industry with its reclamation efforts. Our latest award for outstanding reclamation brings our award total to 60; This far exceeds any other mining company in the business.

Mine reclamation involves restoring the surface to its pre-mining condition or better. This is achieved by backfilling the ground to Approximate Original Contour (AOC) and fertilizing, seeding, and mulching the areas to establish lush vegetation. The land uses most commonly encountered are farmland, pastureland, and forestland. All of these land uses have been restored many times by Amerikohl. In fact, Amerikohl has planted approximately 1.6 million trees in the past 10 years and reclaimed over 32,000 acres of farmland.

Reclamation Case Studies:
Huskins Run Mine – Cowanshannock Township , Armstrong County
Ernest Mines – Rayne Township, Indiana County

Amerikohl has recently come to the forefront by partnering with the government and with various surety companies to resolve business failures that left massive clean up problems for the people of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio.

In March 1993, one of the Commonwealth's largest coal producers (Adobe Mining Co.) went out of business, leaving behind 11,000 scarred areas in 5 western Pennsylvania counties. Seventy-eight sites in all required back filling, seeding, water clean up, and tree planting. This represented a potential multi-million dollar cost to taxpayers. However, John Stilley, president, owner and founder of Amerikohl Mining Inc., formed an innovative partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and three independent insurance companies to reclaim these sites at no cost to the taxpayers.

Governor Tom Ridge presenting Amerikohl President, John Stilley with the Pennsylvania Coal Associatons 1995 Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award and Special Recognition Award.

In 1995, another of the Commonwealth's largest coal producers (Benjamin Mining, Inc.) went out of business. They left behind 9,700 scarred acres across central Pennsylvania. Once again, Amerikohl became partners with the Department of Environmental Protection and several insurance companies to begin the clean up and reclamation of these sites, some 65 sites in all.

To date, all sites have been significantly restored to their original use as either farm, pasture or forest land. Additionally, eight separate passive water treatment systems were built. These treatment systems significantly improved water discharges to the streams of the Commonwealth.

Excellence in Surface Mining Reclamation Award

The U.S. Department of Surface Mining is responsible for regulating the environmental impacts of coal production. On October 10, 2000, this agency presented Amerikohl with a national award for Excellence in Surface Mining Reclamation. The award recognized Amerikohl's mining and reclamation of the Leon Mine in Laurelville, Pennsylvania, a partially mined site that was discharging acidic water and large amounts of metals. Today, the site has been reclaimed into a pasture and forest area which the owner can develop into home sites after the bonds are released. Amerikohl took a bad situation and turned it into an example of exemplary land reclamation.