After a seven-week effort by AMRP and their contractors, the Hardscrabble Refuse Fires Emergency Project was completed in March 2022. Almost 23,000 cubic yards of burning coal refuse were excavated and quenched along Hardscrabble Canyon Road. The coal refuse was observed to be greater than 20 feet deep in some burning areas and extends over a one-half mile along the canyon floor, most likely stockpiled as waste from the historic Lolly and Carbon Fuels mines. Final reclamation of the site will occur in the next year or two. It will include partial removal and capping the coal of refuse, stream channel stabilization, and re-contouring and revegetating the project area.
The AMRP and BLM worked closely to complete project activities in environmentally sound ways, including ensuring clean soils mixed with burning coal were sourced from sites that would not introduce undesirable vegetation or materials into the project areas. The BLM and the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands cleared vegetation from the Hardscrabble burn area to minimize additional wildfire risk. These projects represent effective interagency cooperation.
Additional coal refuse fires have been reported in Peerless, Hardscrabble, and Storrs canyons. AMRP is planning the Spring Canyon Refuse Fires Project to address these new fires. As drought conditions continue and the fire season approaches, AMRP is prepared to take on recent coal fires at abandoned mines to protect public safety and the environment.
AMRP funding is eligible for fighting coal fires that are associated with mining that predates the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA).