Surface mining. Interior Department oversight of state permitting and bonding activities

Technical Report · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5929553

To mine coal, operators must submit a permit application to the state regulatory authority for review and approval. The application must demonstrate that mining operations will meet all prescribed environmental standards and be accompanied by a mining and reclamation plan. The plan must describe the present uses of the land, steps to be taken to prevent environmental damage, and a description of reclamation activities. If the state approves the permit, the applicant must then file a performance bond with the state to ensure that funds will be available to meet reclamation requirements. State program oversight is a cooperative effort between OSM's Eastern and Western Technical Centers and its 13 field offices. OSM guidance describes the organizational responsibilities for the oversight reviews and what is to be reviewed. The technical centers review state permitting and bonding activities and report their results to the field offices. GAO reviewed the procedures used by OSM in performing its permitting and bonding oversight reviews of eight state regulatory programs. GAO found that OSM oversight guidance generally outlines the permitting review process and what is to be reviewed, but until recently it did not include detailed procedures on how the reviews should be conducted. This has led to technical center review findings often being dropped when challenged by state regulatory officials and OSM's field office officials. Consequently, it is questionable whether the results of the permitting oversight reviews were giving OSM adequate assurance that state programs were in compliance with the act. OSM recognized the need to improve its oversight reviews. During GAO's review OSM drafted new oversight guidelines and detailed procedures. These guidelines and procedures address most of the problems GAO identified.

• Research Organization: General Accounting Office, Washington, DC (USA). Resources, Community and Economic Development Div.
• OSTI ID: 5929553
• Report Number(s): GAO/RCED-86-38; ON: TI86901209
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
012000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
017000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Legislation & Regulations
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL MINING
COMPLIANCE
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
INVESTIGATIONS
LAWS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINING
MINING LAWS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PERMIT APPLICATIONS
RESOURCES
STATE GOVERNMENT
SURFACE MINING
SURFACE MINING ACTS
US DOI
US GAO
US ORGANIZATIONS