August 4, 2000 - EarthFax Awarded Ecolinks Challenge Grant

Salt Lake City, Utah - EarthFax Engineering, Inc. ("EarthFax") recently received a notice of intent to award an EcoLinks Challenge Grant. The purpose of this grant is to evaluate alternatives to reduce, control, and recycle mine wastes at the coal mine facilities of Shakhta Sinegorskaya located in the Sakhalin Region of the Russian Federation. EcoLinks Challenge Grants are funded by the United States Agency for International Development to support environmental partnership projects between U.S. organizations and entities located in Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States. The program seeks to strengthen the capacity of businesses and local governments in the region to develop market-based solutions to urban and industrial environmental problems.

Currently, the mine generates but does not environmentally control various waste streams produced by its coal mining operations. These include waste rock, coal-processing waste, and waste timber. Some potential health hazards or environmental problems which can result from these wastes include spontaneous combustion of waste piles, fugitive dust emissions, sediment loading to streams which could affect wildlife habitat and water quality, displacement of native plant species, and uncontrolled vectors. The role of EarthFax will be to evaluate the magnitude of these concerns and develop designs to mitigate them.

EarthFax is an environmental and civil engineering consulting firm with offices in Salt Lake City, Utah and Lansing, Michigan. The company specializes in characterization and mitigation of environmental concerns at mining and other at industrial facilities.