Chevron Mining’s Ramping Up Remediation of Questa Molybdenum Mine

Restoration activities at Chevron Mining, Inc.'s Questa molybdenum mine have been ramping up in recent months. The reclamation of the mine and tailings site could take decades more, and 'Chevron will own the mine forever,' said one company executive.

Workers used a variety of heavy equipment to re-grade the Capulin waste rock pile to reduce erosion and ensure stability. And drainage canals were constructed to collect runoff and direct it to the lowest point in the center, where the groundwater was collected and pumped to the wastewater treatment facility.

The massive open pit formed during surface mining at the Questa molybdenum mine will be partially filled in during the reclamation process. Chevron has undertaken a pilot project to support its proposal to use less ground cover to cover the area, which has been heavily contaminated by decades of mining.

This followed the closure of the mine in 2014 after nearly 100 years of underground and surface molybdenum mining, and environmental remediation work at the mine is currently being stepped up. Chevron purchased the Questa mine when it acquired Uncocal in 2005.

Christian Isely, Chevron Mining's public affairs consultant, said in an email that mixed plantings, which are "a mixture of native grasses, grasses, and shrubs," will be used. The company expects to increase its restoration efforts in the tailings area next year, with nearly two-thirds of the company's workforce currently engaged in cleanup and restoration projects.

“Workers will not lose their jobs during the next few phases of the remediation work," Isely said. “When we finish the Goathill project, we'll go to the tailings site; then on to the next rock pile. Chevron has scheduled restoration and remediation measures with workers in mind, and the Questa molybdenum mine restoration project is important for both jobs and the environment."

Chevron Mining Inc. is a subsidiary of energy giant Chevron, which owns and operates coal mines in Alabama, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Chevron also has a 50 percent stake in a coal mining joint venture in northern Wyoming. In addition, the company owns a molybdenum mine in New Mexico.

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