The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it plans to increase scrutiny of state agencies' strip-mine inspections and reviews of mining permits. The Interior Department classified the beefed-up rules as "immediate actions to improve oversight of state mining regulators and better protect streams affected by surface coal mining operations," Ken Ward Jr. of the Charleston Gazette reports.
Under the 1977 federal strip-mine law, in most states the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement oversees state regulators, but widespread staff cuts during the Clinton administration hurt the office's ability to enforce regulations. OSMRE inspections dropped from a high of 4,000 per year in the 1990s to fewer than 1,500. One of the new regulations will no longer allow state regulators to accompany OSM officials during inspections.
"Through tougher oversight and stronger enforcement ... we are putting all hands on deck to ensure that Appalachian communities are protected," newly confirmed OSMRE Director Joseph Pizarchik told Ward. He also announced plans for nationwide initiatives focused on the approximate original contour reclamation rule, and pledged to place "greater emphasis on reducing the off-site impacts of mining." (Read more)
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