 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 3, 1977 |
| Headquarters | Department of the Interior - South Building 1951 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. |
| Employees | 500 (2008) |
| Annual budget | $170 million, discretionary (2008) |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Department of the Interior |
| Website | www.osmre.gov |
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is a branch of the United States Department of the Interior. It is the federal agency entrusted with the implementation and enforcement of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), which attached a per-ton fee to all extracted coal in order to fund an interest-accruing trust to be used for reclamation of abandoned mine lands,[1] as well as established a set environmental standards that mines must follow while operating, and achieve when reclaiming mined land, in order to minimize environmental impact.[2] OSMRE has fewer than 500 employees,[3] who work in either the national office in Washington, DC, or of the many regional and field offices (in OSMRE's Three Regions).[4]
OSMRE has three main functions:
- Regulating active mines
- Reclaiming lands damaged by surface mining and abandoned mines
- Providing resources for technical assistance, training, and technology development[5]
- ^ [1][permanent dead link] GIS Mine Post, Spring 2009
- ^ Bernhard, Karrie. "Surface Mining Law". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "2008 Annual Report". Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "OSMRE Map | Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement".
- ^ "Technology Development and Transfer | Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement".