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AML receives Reclamation Award

Rules and Regulations

All official Wyoming State Rules and Regulations are kept at the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. Click here to view all current Rules and Regulations.

Trade Secret Confidentiality Requests

Entities requesting permits from the DEQ are required to provide detailed descriptions of the activities or processes involved, so the DEQ may evaluate compliance with standards to protect public health and the natural resources of the state. These descriptions often include information that is considered "trade secrets" or proprietary by the entity. The DEQ must balance the obligation to keep confidential any trade secrets or proprietary information disclosed during the permitting process with the obligation to comply with the Wyoming Public Records Act (W.S. 16-4-203(d)) and Wyoming Environmental Quality Act (W.S. 35-11-1101(a)).

The following checklist has been developed for submitting requests to keep documents containing "trade secrets" confidential. The checklist summarizes the trade secret confidentiality issue in the State of Wyoming and refers to three documents that provide guidance for such requests:

  1. A seminal August 29, 2011 letter from former DEQ Director John Corra to a member of industry describing the components of a trade secret confidentiality request and the extent to which the DEQ will be able to keep this information confidential. These concepts are reiterated and refined in the checklist. 
  2. An excerpt from the Wyoming Supreme Court’s March 2014 decision in Powder River Basin Res. Council v. Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Comm’n., 320 P.3d 222 (Wyo. 2014), adopting the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) definition of “trade secrets.” 
  3. 40 C.F.R. § 2.208 lists additional criteria that must be met in order for information to be considered a “trade secret.”

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Linokol Project in Sweetwater County recognized for extensive 6 year effort

Sweetwater County, Wyo- On June 16, 2014, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Abandoned Mine Land Division (AML) received Reclamationist of the Year from the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR). 

The Linokol Project was recognized for “notable efforts in land and water reclamation”. The project was implemented in four phases over a six year period and was completed in 2013.

Over 320 acres were reclaimed that included four open mine pits, mine spoils, underground mine portals, shafts, subsidence features (sink holes), and the restoration of over 5 miles of degraded mainstream drainage’s. 

“I think this award is special because it is not just from a group of our peers in other state and tribal reclamation programs,” said Bill Locke, AML Program Manager. “It’s a group of peers in the academic field, mining and reclamation industry nationwide whose mission is supporting and promoting excellence in reclamation throughout this country.”

According to Locke, one of the major challenges with this project was the sheer size 
of the reclamation.

BRS Engineering in Rock Springs, WY, was the consultant on this project and assisted the AML Division on implementing a new technology called geomorphic reclamation. This technology helps develop a stable, diverse, reclaimed landscape which matches the surrounding area.

“Since we have been using geomorphic reclamation, we have reclaimed over 4300 acres,” said Alan Edwards, AML Administrator. “This award not only recognizes the Linokol Project, but also the work the program has done to date.”

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