WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Mining Association (NMA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will today honor outstanding achievements in mine safety, technology, reclamation and stewardship.
Safety
The NMA’s Sentinels of Safety Award recognizes coal and mineral mining operations in 10 categories for recording the most hours in a calendar year without a single lost-time injury. A minimum of 4,000 hours is required for award consideration. The award categories reflect the safety accomplishments of both small and large mines.
Twenty American mining operations – six coal mines and 14 mineral/metal mines – will be honored for their extraordinary safety performance in 2025.
“Safety is the foundation on which our industry stands,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO. “With mineral, material and electricity demand all rapidly growing, American economic and national security count on our ability to safely and responsibly mine. These winners are at the leading edge of today’s modern, dynamic and safe mining industry that is working to meet the demands of the most materials and energy intensive period in American history.”
Initiated in 1923 by then Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, a former mining engineer, the Sentinels of Safety Award program remains the nation’s most prestigious recognition of mine safety and has helped foster a strong safety commitment on the part of U.S. mines.
Note: all recipients marked with an asterisk* are members of the NMA.
Recipients for 2025 include the following:
Large Group Category
- Large Coal Processing, Cumberland Mine, Iron Senergy*, Waynesburg, Penn.
- Large Underground Metal, Hermosa Mine, South32 Hermosa Inc.*, Patagonia, Ariz.
- Large Surface Coal, Eagle Butte Mine, Eagle Summit Resources, LLC*, Gillette, Wyo.
- Large Open Pit, Phoenix Mine, Nevada Gold Mines, LLC*, Elko, Nev.
- Large Metal/Nonmetal Mill, American Soda LLC, Solvay Chemicals Inc., Green River, Wyo.
- Large Bank or Pit, 3M – FST Sand & Gravel Inc., 3M – FST Sand & Gravel Inc., Corona, Calif.
- Large Dredge, Independent Mine, E.R. Jahna Industries, Davenport, Fla.
- Large Quarry, Cumberland River Quarry, Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel Company, White Hall, Ark.
- Large Underground Coal, Mine No. 44, Twin State Mining, Inc., Princeton, W.Va.
- Large Underground Nonmetal, Cayuga Mine, Cargill Deicing Solutions, Lansing, N.Y.
Small Group Category
- Small Underground Metal, 29 Mine, The Doe Run Company*, Viburnum, Mo.
- Small Open Pit, Avant-Ennis Mine, Thiele Kaolin LLC, Sandersville, Ga.
- Small Bank or Pit, Orona, Duke City Redi Mix, Albuquerque, N.M.
- Small Coal Processing, Peach Orchard Prep Plant, Screaming Eagle Coal LLC, Holden, W.Va.
- Small Dredge, Scottsbluff Portable Barge, Simon Contractors, Scottsbluff, Neb.
- Small Metal/Nonmetal Mill, Allsboro Quarry & Mill, Martin Marietta, Cherokee, Ala.
- Small Quarry, Bucyrus Plant, The National Lime and Stone Company, Findlay, Ohio
- Small Surface Coal, RCR-1 Moss #3, Russell County Reclamation, LLC, Bristol, Va.
- Small Underground Coal, Winchester 2 Mine, Panther Creek Mining, LLC, Dawes, W.Va.
- Small Underground Nonmetal, Bakersville Quarry, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc., New Enterprise, Pa.
Technology
In addition, NIOSH will also recognize winners with its annual Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovation Awards. Honorees are selected due to the significant advancements they have made to enhance mine safety by applying technology or improved processes in innovative ways.
The following companies will be recognized for 2026:
- Coal Mining Sector: Innovative Wireless Technologies* and Core Natural Resources*, for the innovative use of the SENTINELTM wireless communication system to enhance emergency preparedness, real-time situational awareness and coordinated response and recovery during the Leer South Mine Fire, contributing to a safe recovery with zero injuries and zero fatalities.
- Metal Mining Sector: Coeur Mining, Inc.*, for the application of robotic dog in safety inspections, reducing the need for employees to enter environments with respirable crystalline silica, moving machinery and energized equipment.
Reclamation
OSMRE will also recognize two companies with its 2026 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation National Award, which is the highest honor given to coal mining companies with exemplary coal mine reclamation in the United States.
This year, OSMRE will honor:
- National Award: Seneca II West Mine, a subsidiary of Peabody*
- Good Neighbor Award: Jewett Mine LLC, a subsidiary of NRG Energy
Mineral Development
BLM will also recognize four companies with its 2026 Mineral Development Awards, which recognize solid mineral operators who have made exemplary contributions to solid minerals (non-coal) development.
This year, BLM will honor:
- 2026 Mine Legacy Steward Award: American Gilsonite Company
- 2026 Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic Security Award: Alaska Resource Education
- 2026 Hardrock Mineral Small Operator Award: Valdez Creek Mining, LLC
- 2026 Hardrock Mineral Leadership Award: Nevada Gold Mines*