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Wells Fargo, according to Bloomberg, has committed to reduce its lending to coal mining companies, and Morgan Stanley has said its rejection of coal will encompass both lend- ing and underwriting. It also has reportedly said it will not finance the development of coal-fired power facilities in devel- oped countries. "We will continue to shift our lending and capital-raising efforts toward cleaner and renewable sources of energy and reduce the proportion of our energy financing to coal mining and coal-fired power generation," Morgan Stanley officials told the news service. The two banks join other similar coal funding cuts by Citigroup, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs Group and others. MERC Meets Milestone at Superior Midwest Energy Resources Co. (MERC) has surpassed a signifi- cant milestone at its coal transshipment facility in the St. Louis Bay: the departure of its 500 millionth ton of coal from its Superior facility. It was part of a load that recently left on the Interlake Steamship Co.'s freighter Paul R. Tregurtha, bound for Detroit's DTE Electric (MERC is a wholly owned arm of DTE). MERC brought the Wisconsin complex online in 1976 and transshipped its 100 millionth ton of U.S. western low-sulfur coal in 1991. The 200-million-ton mark was reached in 1998 and 300 million tons was surpassed in 2004. Its most recent mile- stone, 400 million tons, was recorded in 2009. It is the largest- capacity coal transshipment facility on the Great Lakes, sending out more coal combined than all other dock facilities in the region. MERC President Fred Shusterich said the 500 millionth ton transshipped represents another significant MERC milestone: the loading and transshipment of its 10,000 th vessel, American Steamship Co.'s American Century, on November 9. n e w s c o n t i n u e d 16 www.coalage.com January 2016 VCEA Recognizes Excellence in Mining and Reclamation Several awards for excellence in mining and reclamation were presented recently by the Virginia Coal and Energy Alliance (VCEA). Companies were nominated for the awards by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Best Innovation in Mining and Reclamation: Paramont Coal Co. Virginia LLC was recognized for its mitigation project involving more than 3,000 ft of stream improvement through bank stabilization, realignment and installation of in-stream structures in the lower section of Dumps Creek in Russell County. It was noted that with the success of the recla- mation project, Dumps Creek is set to be removed in 2016 from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's list of impaired streams. 15-year Legacy Award: Jerry Wharton accepted the award for an area his company had surface mined and reclaimed in Dickenson County. The legacy award recognizes the successful implementation of these land uses as the reclaimed area is now a significant commercial area in Dickenson County. Best AML Enhancement: GOBCO LLC was recognized for the McClure Creek Gob Pile Removal in Dickenson County. GOBCO won the award for the third year in a row. GOBCO is a major fuel supplier for Dominion's Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center. Through the AML enhancement pro- ject, GOBCO recovers waste coal from the gob pile and uses proceeds from the coal sales to offset the cost of the reclamation. Best Completed Deep Mine: Mill Branch Coal Corp. in Wise County was recognized for its reclamation and regrading of the area early in 2015 and its accomplishment of a section of stream mitigation. Vegetative cover has been rapidly established. Best Completed Surface Mine: Paramont Coal Co. Virginia LLC was recognized for its work on the Hawks Nest permit in Buchanan County. In mining and reclaiming this permit, Paramont eliminated pre-SMCRA highwalls, planted native hardwoods, restored stream channels, reclaimed an area for industrial development and constructed portions of the Coalfields Expressway. The permit won national reclamation awards from OSM and the National Association of State Land Reclamationists and will be considered for an Interstate Mining Compact Commission national award. Best Active Surface Mine: Red River Coal Co. Inc. was recognized as a model of contemporaneous reclamation and for its implementation of a number of land uses. Best Combination Mining: Lone Mountain Processing Inc. in Lee County was recognized for the third year in a row for its processing oper- ation and refuse disposal site. Best Active Deep Mine: CONSOL Energy's Buchanan Mining Co. LLC was recognized for its operation of the Buchanan mine in Buchanan County. Best Completed Fill: CONSOL Energy's Island Creek Coal Co. in Buchanan County was recognized for its construction and reclamation of the VP3 refuse fill in accordance with all requirements. The reclaimed refuse facility is extremely well vegetated and attracts numerous native wildlife species which include white tail deer, turkey, black bear, and a variety of song birds. Best Stewardship in Mining and Reclamation: Dominion and its Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC) in Wise County were recognized for their design plan, which includes procuring fuel from responsible sources where environmental protection and reclamation are fully incorporated into opera- tions. Implementing the design plan for VCHEC, a significant percentage of its fuel is from gob piles. This accomplishes the complete removal of envi- ronmentally degrading gob piles at little cost to state agencies. 2 0 1 6 A W A R D S % The vessel Paul R. Tregurtha loads coal at the Midwest Energy's terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. (Photo: Rod Burdick, www.marinetraffic.com)