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.. ul 21, 2011 �,.,- . Ir Ad Page 9 Minin Companies. are arto the local Communitg 'ANET PERRY cern in any mining practice: t . : ��. NEDERLAND Hendricks own dedication to safety is because he truly _ Tom Hendricks is a hero. cares about people. He not He's one of those men that sto- only wants to know that every- ries will be told about long one is doing their job safely,he If „•, after he's left this world of rich has helped with rescues. He minerals,blue skies and wind. received the Duke Rudman Since arriving in Nederland in Heroism Award in 1988 for his 3 1968,Hendricks has proven to dramatic rescue of a partly- be a notable miner, operating submerged individual who had through unforgiving long fallen 160 feet down a steep mountain winters. Hendricks slope into.water. Hendricks says its the challenge that used climbing equipment to L keeps him inspired. This in- accomplish the five-hour res- spiration has helped create one cue. of the most environmentally- Hendricks proudly rattles friendly mining operations in off the names of his employees the world. In a day when pop- and brags about the women ulations are sickened by mine- miners who have worked for poisoning of water and air, him. Hendricks was honored Hendricks is looking for ways in 1985 for his support of -. to be low-impact. women in mining. Hendricks is fit for his "We have this great pro- ears and passionate about gram in place where when we {: what he does which puts a fun start making money, we're twinkle in his eyes. He's gonna spin off pre-tax net known in Nederland as an in- profit to ten charities in Neder- � BARBARA HARDT credibly friendly and neigh- land," Hendricks proudly borly guy. He spends a good mentioned a few,such as Wild Mine in full operation part of his day filling out pa- Bear Science School, the Tom Hendricks,Greg Keller,Stepanie VonMende, Leah Page, Eric Clifford, Dave Young,.Neil Dosier perwork on the different as- Nederland Teen Center, the and Mike Dexter make up the seven person mining crew taking Calais in a new direction. pects of the mine's operation, Community Center, Neder- environmental standards and land Seniors and The Library. local roads. They'll have free tion with the Calcium in the corporated into the mine. safety. Honored time and again rock up here to use instead of mine. "Every one of our(min- Hendricks meets his employ- Hendricks explained that for his commitment to the en- having to haul it up from Den- eral)veins is full of Calcite,ex- ees in Nederland each morning Colorado's "Mine Safety and vironment, Hendricks stands ver. and burning up diesel plains Hendricks."So, as the and drives them up to the Health Administration can as a beacon of light in an in- fuel." Hendricks pointed out water comes into them and mine. It's these smaller, come up here four times a dustry that does not always that the mining that is about to dissolves the calcite,the pH of thoughtful practices that may year. They can come for four consider neighbors or their start in the. next couple of the water coming out of the be noted most readily by his hours, they can stay the whole natural world in their plans. weeks will only involve about mines is 8. Its very alkaline. mountain neighbors. A good yeas,every day of the year. So, Hendricks explained, "Ar�y- one, truck- going out about We monitor our wells. Every neighbor,asteward of the land; if you're a problem mine,they thing we do here, which is a every day and a half. morning we drink the water a miner and a hero. Tom Hen- could end up being here 24n. tiny scale, we always plan for Hendricks explains that right out of our sink from the dricks has elevated the bar In the last 15 years,we haven't the post-mining activity so they are an organic mine. The mine well that's under the mine high for the mining industry, received one citation. That's that all of our environmental only thing that they use to sep- up here,because its so pristine. while proving that a mine can part of our really tough in- programs are current and in arate their minerals-is Pine Sol. There are smaller environ- beneficial to its local commu- house safety training and poli- compliance, but we're also They have a fortunate situa- mentally sound practices in- nity. cies." thinking about what' we'll be - Hendricks pondered doing in the future." mines that are not safely mon- Hendricks spoke of a fu- itored. "That's what surprises turistic.mine with an under- me about these(Appalachian) ground mill. "In that mill it coal mine operations that have_ will have some of the most so- these problems, is because phisticated technology ever they're supposed to have that heard of in mining. The ore heavy oversight on coal never comes outside. It goes mines." Hendricks was refer- into the mill,gets crushed and ring to the practices in Ap- ground, we make a concen- palachian coal mining that trate, and the tailing sand will have proven disastrous to both be filter-pressed; so that you the local environment and take all of the water out of the miners themselves.Appalling sand,and you add portland ce- statistics show haphazard poli- ment to it. So we'll have cies that have led to numerous twenty mining areas all small miner deaths, including 29 scale, but ten of them will be miners killed in a Massey En- filled with cement and sand ergy mine in West Virginia this and we work off of that,so that past year. A government in- when we're done up here, vestigation has found Massey there's no tailings pond,there's Energy negligence at fault for no water coming out of the the 29 miners' deaths. There mine. are many differences between The waste-rock that we coal mining and gold mining, generate is high-quality gran- but the safety of the miners ite. We're gonna crush that and themselves is a universal con- Boulder County and the Forest Service will take it to improve