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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Review assessment and collection of civil penalties by the Department of the Interior under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). Hearing before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-Eighth Congress, Second Session, June 13, 1984

Book ·
OSTI ID:5882568
Witnesses from the Department of the Interior (DOI), the General Accounting Office, and legal profession reviewed enforcement of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977, which established a fund for reclaiming abandoned sites and a program to minimize environmental damage and protect health and safety during strip mining operations. The Act sets civil penalties, which the DOI is charged with collecting. The witnesses were asked to address the problem of $150 million of assessed penalties that remain uncollected at a revenue loss to the federal government. Delays in case processing were the major cause, but other factors were poor records management, ineffective contracts and debt collection methods, and a lack of response to court orders. Letters, statements, and other material submitted for the record follow the testimony of the six major witnesses.
OSTI ID:
5882568
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English