Responsibility Report - Peabody Energy

environmental responsibility | 38farmland, pastureland and wooded areas the company restores. Bond releasesalso fluctuate depending on mining and restoration activities planned during aparticular period. The company released $42 million in bond liability in 2011,down from $55 million in 2010.Recycling and Waste ManagementPeabody has introduced a recycling program that continues to increase the beneficialreuse of materials across multiple categories. For instance, the company increasedthe volume of recycled grease by more than 100 percent and tons of recycledcomputer equipment by more than 1,550 percent over prior-year levels.Peabody continues to advance innovative technologies to better manage waste.For instance, the company successfully implemented a coal waste rock recyclingproject at its Metropolitan Mine in Australia. The operation is the first in the nationto recycle coal waste rock by processing it into a paste and storing it in abandonedunderground workings.Working with Mongolian officials, community leaders and academics, Peabodytransformed the former Ereen Mine on Mongolia’s remote northern steppes into44 acres of grass-covered plains. During one year, an international team of morethan 60 engineers, Peabody workers and officials worked to restore pastureland,develop a water well for the community and create a pond for livestock.Land Restoration BondingPeabody’s primary environmental objective is to restore land to a productivecondition that provides lasting benefits to future generations. The company conductsextensive planning well in advance of any mining activity, and lands are restoredcontemporaneously as mining proceeds. This practice ensures the smallest activearea for mining operations and enables timely bond release, returning lands toproductive use by communities.In the United States, the company has approximately 365,000 surface acres permittedand secured by land restoration bonds throughout its mining operations. During 2011,development activities were initiated on more than 8,100 acres; more than 5,100acres were restored; and approximately 4,300 acres were released from bond. Theseresults compare with 2010 development activities on nearly 8,100 acres with morethan 5,200 acres restored and 5,500 acres released from bond.The company has successfully completed final restoration on a broad arrayof properties, including 148 acres of forested land and 86 acres of lakes. Thequantity of trees planted varies year to year based upon what proportions ofThe company also advances recycling and conservation activities worldwide by forgingpartnerships in local communities. For example, Peabody is a lifetime member of theNew Mexico Recycling Coalition and a partner in Recycle Cibola!. This communityrecycling group was initiated by employees in Cibola County, home to Peabody’sLee Ranch and El Segundo mines. Until the organization was founded, residentsdrove an hour to transport recyclables to Albuquerque. The group has establishedconvenient recycling stations around the Grants, N.M., area where residents can droptheir waste, including five new stations in 2011.Peabody beneficially reuses used tires from large mining equipment, often convertingthe tires into watering tanks for livestock and wildlife. The company even forgedan agreement with the U.S. National Park Service to repurpose large used tires toconstruct an artificial barrier reef around a marina at Lake Powell.New Mexico has a 14 percentrecycling rate, while the U.S.average exceeds 30 percent.To help increase recycling inthe communities surroundingPeabody’s New Mexicooperations, employeeshelped establish the RecycleCibola! program.