Wyoming Abandoned Mine Land Division Awarded Again for Their Work

By Kimberly Mazza Statewide – On the heels of receiving the national award from the Office of Surface Mine Reclamation and Enforcement last month, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Division, brought home another national award for Wyoming.  This time, they were recognized for their work in the hard-rock sector […]

U.S. OSMRE Principal Deputy Director Tours Wyoming Mining Sites

By Kimberly Mazza U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) Principal Deputy Director Sharon Buccino traveled with Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) staff to view the high-quality reclamation being completed at Title V active coal mine and Title IV Abandoned Mine Land (AML) sites in Wyoming. The DEQ Director and Administrators of […]

Wyoming DEQ Land Quality Division Administrator Testifies Before U.S. House Natural Resource Committee Subcommittee

By Kimberly Mazza CHEYENNE – The Department of Environmental Quality Land Quality Division (DEQ/LQD) Administrator recently testified before the House Natural Resource Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.  The purpose of the oversight hearing  was to examine the Biden Administration’s Abandoned Mine Lands and Active Mining Programs. During his testimony, Wendtland provided a background […]

DEQ’s Don Newton Elected as NAAMLP Secretary/Treasurer

By Kimberly Mazza The Department of Environmental Quality, Abandoned Mine Land Division (DEQ-AML) Administrator Don Newton was recently elected as the Secretary/Treasurer for the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs (NAAMLP). Elections are held each fall at NAAMLP’s annual conference and are for one-year terms. Don also serves as chair of the NAAMLP Public […]

Department of Environmental Quality Presents Native Plant Project National Awards

By Kimberly Mazza LANDER – Todd Parfitt, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director presented the Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC) Public Outreach Award to Gina Clingerman of the BLM for her ongoing efforts in the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Native Plants Project, providing sagebrush habitat reclamation in Wyoming. Parfitt also presented the Lander Middle School […]

Wyoming Department of Environmental/Abandoned Mine Land Division to Host Seeding Specialist Certification and Training

By Kimberly Mazza Lander – The Wyoming Department of Environmental/Abandoned Mine Land Division (AML) is hosting a Seeding Specialist Certification and Training at the American Society of Reclamation Sciences (ASRS) annual meeting in Boise, Idaho June 4th-7th. The Seeding Specialist Training will focus on planning, designing, construction management techniques, and tools to increase vegetation establishment of a diverse […]

DEQ Honors Mining Industry in Wyoming

DEQ Honors Mining Industry in Wyoming By Kimberly Mazza CHEYENNE – Today, December 6 is National Miner’s Day 2022.  As one of Wyoming’s founding industries and historically rooted in the state’s culture and economy, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would like to honor our Wyoming miners and acknowledge the continued impact of Wyoming’s […]

Over 3,000 Sagebrush Seedlings Planted this year.

LANDER – “The sagebrush planting went great,” stated Josh Oakleaf, Project Manager and VegetationCoordinator with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Abandoned Mine Lands (DEQ-AML) Division. Oakleaf was referring to the AML Native Plants Project (NPP) fall planting, which is a partnership createdin 2016 by the DEQ-AML Division and the Bureau of Lander Management AML […]

Wyoming Presented with OSMRE Western States and Tribes Region Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Award 

WASHINGTON – The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement honored the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Abandoned Mine Land Division during the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs conference in Grand Junction, Colorado, on October 17. Wyoming won the award for reclamation work at Hanna Elementary School and the adjacent high school football field and […]