In a similar way that the Mine Act of 1977 created MSHA (the Mine Safety and Health Administration), the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) created OSMRE (the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement). To fully understand the scope of mining oversight in the U.S., it’s important to learn about what OSMRE is, and how it relates to SMCRA.
So, what is OSMRE and what do they do? The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) that was established in 1977 by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. OSMREs primary objectives are to “protect citizens and the environment during mining and assure that the land is restored to beneficial use following mining...”
Prior to 1977, coal mining companies in the U.S. were not held legally responsible for the effects their mining operations had on the environment and the people impacted by pollution. And in many cases, mining operations would simply be abandoned when a coal seam was exhausted, leaving a wasteland of toxic waterways and destroyed habitats. The creation of OSMRE would be a monumental step toward changing all that.
With the creation of both MSHA and OSMRE in 1977, the U.S. mining industry would never be the same. While MSHA began with the intention of overseeing regulations for the safety and health of miners and mining contractors, OSMRE’s original purpose was to ensure the long-term health of the environment and to protect people’s health, safety, welfare, and property from negligent or abusive mining practices.
When the U.S. Congress passed the SMCRA of 1977, OSMRE was created as the bureau responsible for “establishing a nationwide program to protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations, under which OSMRE is charged with balancing the nation’s need for continued domestic coal production with protection of the environment.”
Since OSMRE’s inception, many states have developed programs to manage environmental mining issues. So, these days, OSMRE provides more of an oversight role to help support the state’s efforts.
TIP! - Go to our Resources page for a link to OSMRE’s home page.
While OSMRE’s core focus is to protect society and the environment from the harmful effects of mining, their efforts cover two important categories of mines:
OSMRE’s major programs include:
TIP! - Go to our Resources page for a link to OSMRE’s Major Programs page.
As the primary federal organization overseeing coal mining activities, there are a number of reasons that someone might contact OSMRE. Here are a few of the most common:
TIP! - Go to our Resources page for links to an interactive map of contacts by state and region and the National Mine Map Repository.
There are two primary regulations that OSMRE relies on for guidance and enforcement:
OSMRE provides a range of resources on their site. Here are a few that may be most meaningful to the general public:
TIP! - Go to our Resources page for links to each of these OSMRE resources.
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 was a significant piece of congressional legislation that did two primary things:
In the context of surface mining, the term “reclamation” defines a process of returning mined land to a “productive and beneficial use.” This process very generally involves:
Ultimately, the purpose of mine reclamation is to protect our citizens and our economic welfare through the preservation of our nation’s natural resources.
Helping Miners and Mining Contractors Since 2008