Ultradent Receives 2016 Earth Day Award For Mine Reclamation Project

The Utah Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining honored Ultradent Products Inc. with its 2016 Earth Day Award for the company’s innovative reclamation of a mine located in Tooele County, Utah. Every year, the board presents the award to Utah companies, organizations, and individuals for going beyond what is required by regulation to protect the environment while developing Utah’s natural resources.

For more than two decades, Ultradent responsibly used the site to resource and refine banded fluorite and barite found within the mine for use in its many dental products. Last August, Ultradent executives made the decision to undergo reclamation of the mine in order to return it to a post-mining land use, making it a possible and safe habitat for wildlife in the future. The project involved demolition and closing the mine, regrading, and revegetating the land.

Larry Garahana, a geologist for the Bureau of Land Management said, “Projects like this are so important because we don’t want to leave old mining disturbances on the ground for safety reasons, and it’s important to bring the landscape back to a suitable habitat and ground for wildlife and woodlands.” He continues, “Ultradent, under the direction of Peter Allred and Erwin Fischer, did a phenomenal job on this project. They went above and beyond.”

Peter Allred, Ultradent’s director of formulation technology says, “We’re a proud Utah company—all of our marketing materials and product packaging feature our iconic Utah landscapes and landmarks, and with this project, we felt a deep responsibility to clean up the site and return the land to its natural state as good corporate citizens.”

Erwin Fischer, Ultradent’s senior vice-president says, “This is something that our team can be very proud of for the effort that they put into it. They gave it their all and spend a lot of time and in the end, I think they really enjoyed it and knocked it out of the park.”

“Earth Day Awards recognize reclamation projects and innovations in environmental technology that surpass what is required by regulation,” stated Utah Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining Chairman Ruland Gill Jr. “It is an opportunity for companies to demonstrate technical expertise and pride in their industry, and concern not only for the economics of their industry, but also for our environment.”

Other companies that received the 2016 Earth Day Award include Compass Minerals Ogden, Inc., Conoco Phillips, North American Mine Services, Inc., Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, and Questar Pipeline Company for their projects.