Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining should more fully recover or eliminate its costs of regulating coal mining
The Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is spending about $65 million annually to implement regulatory program requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The act requires the regulatory authority, whether OSM or that of a state with an OSM-approved program, to charge fees to mining operators for reviewing, enforcing, and administering coal mine operating permits and authorizes that the amount of such fees can fully recover costs. The OSM and states assess certain fees, but the fees recover only a small portion of their program costs. GAO found that if OSM and states fully recovered their regulatory costs, OSM could save over $50 million a year and the impact on coal demand and production would be minimal. GAO recommends that the Secretary of the Interior collect fees that fully recover OSM's regulatory costs, phase out or substantially reduce financial assistance to states, and encourage states to fully recover their own costs.
- Research Organization:
- General Accounting Office, Washington, DC (USA). Office of the Comptroller General
- OSTI ID:
- 5175447
- Report Number(s):
- GAO/RCED-85-33; ON: TI86900083
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Public lands: Interior should recover the costs of recording mining claims
Recovery of regulatory costs for coal mine permitting: Final report
Related Subjects
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
CHARGES
COAL MINING
REGULATIONS
ENFORCEMENT
PERMIT APPLICATIONS
SURFACE MINING ACTS
US GAO
RECOMMENDATIONS
LAND RECLAMATION
US DOE
USA
LAWS
MINING
MINING LAWS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
US ORGANIZATIONS
012000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Mining
015000 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects
017000 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Legislation & Regulations