The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) Tuesday closed out the mining permit for the Alcoa Sandow Mine.
It was the first-ever surface mining permit issued by the RRC in 1976.
Ramona Nye, RRC spokesperson, said commissioners unanimously approved the release of Alcoa USA Corporation’s surface mining bonds after the company met its final obligations on the more than 4,800-acre mine in Milam and Lee counties.
The RRC said during the permit’s life, about 200 million tons of lignite were produced.
At its most active period the mine permit encompassed almost 1,800 acres.
Mining actually began in the 1950s before mining regulations were in place.
According to the RRC, during the life of the permit, commission staffers conducted more than an estimated 1,000 inspections at the mine and processed almost 900 permitted actions.
Nye said the RRC’s reclamation regulations ensure the mined land is “returned to a condition that is good as, or better than, it was before mining.”
The mine is now part of the Sandow Lakes Ranch which remains on the market
“The release of the Sandow Mine permit is the culmination of decades of hard work and diligence by hundreds of people at the RRC to protect our environment while making sure we maximize the state’s natural resources,” Denny Kingsley, RRC Surface Mining Director, said.
“We release the site knowing it is in great shape for the next chapter in the story of Texas,” he added.
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