Washington, D.C. --Earth Day is for everyone, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi.

"We're all concerned and interested in protecting and cleaning up the environment. We must not let the environment become a 'conflict industry' where two sides need to keep controversies going in order to keep their jobs," said Enzi. "Protection and preservation of the environment does not have to be an 'us versus them' issue. It's nice when the 'two sides' come together and credit each other for their efforts to make where we live a better place. Earth Day is a great time for that recognition."

Enzi sent a letter of congratulations to ARCO's Thunder Basin Coal mine in northwest Wyoming after he learned that the operation had been named to a Wildlife Habitat Council's (WHC) Registry of Certified & Internationally Accredited Corporate Wildlife Habitat Programs, a select list of corporations that have "gone beyond just meeting regulatory standards."

"The people who make up the wildlife teams at these sites are true environmentalists who should be commended for their outstanding efforts to balance industry and development with the need to protect critical habitat...the initiative shown in addressing environmental concerns will set a new precedent for the industrial community, encouraging active involvement in conservation issues and forging the way for a new era of environmental consciousness," a WHC letter stated.

Enzi said ARCO has set an example for others to follow.

"Your company has shown that the principles of multiple use and the responsibility for taking care of the land go hand in hand," Enzi wrote. "I noted that your company mines 300 acres of land each year, as you reclaim 300 acres. The manner in which you manage your harvest of the land, and the great care you take in attracting wildlife as you return it to its original state are to be admired and encouraged."