The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety recognised West Elk for its innovative vegetation and reclamation practices on challenging local topography with awards for best of best environmental, excellence in coal mine reclamation and excellence in safety.
"We're very pleased to have earned the top honours for safety and environmental excellence in Colorado," Arch operations senior vice president Kenneth Cochran said.
"West Elk's employees act responsibly day in and day out while supplying essential energy to the world."
West Elk has operated for more than 14 years with perfect Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act environmental compliance in Colorado.
The mine’s award-winning practices include recycling water at its coal preparation plant, eliminating water discharge and reducing fresh water usage.
Employees of West Elk earned the top safety recognition for a fifth consecutive year for achieving a peer-best rate among Colorado's underground coal mines.
The 2013 total incident rate of 0.27 per 200,000 employee hours was 94% lower than the national underground average.
"Our extraordinary success is attributed to the involvement and commitment of our entire workforce in the proactive behaviour-based process," West Elk mine general manager Jim Miller said.
"Each of us takes responsibility for safety and environmental performance."
