Agency in Brief: Office of Surface Mining (OSMRE)
What does the agency do, why does it matter for TU, and what are the key programs and partnerships that affect our work?
What does OSMRE do?
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is an agency of the federal government within the United States Department of the Interior. It is responsible for overseeing coal mining operations in the United States, ensuring that mining takes place in a manner that protects citizens and the environment, and ensuring that the land is restored to beneficial use following the end of mining operations. The organization was developed to ensure compliance with and carry out the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. OSMRE also seeks to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing the reclamation of mining sites.
Why does it matter for TU?
Given that abandoned or poorly reclaimed mines pose significant health risks and can frequently cause severe environmental damage, the OSMRE is an important partner in Trout Unlimited’s efforts to protect watersheds and their fish populations. OSMRE’s objective of limiting the environmental impact of mining and of ensuring that closed mines no longer pose a threat to the world around them is highly valuable to all conservation efforts, TU’s included.
Key programs and partnerships
Abandoned Mine Land Cleanup: Cleaning up and reclaiming abandoned mines is the OSMRE’s largest and most significant program. The agency has been responsible for distributing some $8 billion in grants to tribal authorities, local governments, and individuals adversely affected by the aftermath of mining. Much of this money also goes to projects designed to reclaim abandoned mines, removing the threat and their adverse impact on the environment. With more than $4 billion worth of High Priority health and safety coal-related abandoned sites and many more non-coal related abandoned sites, the OSMRE will be vital in its continued efforts to neutralize these threats to the environment.
- Appalachian Cleanup: TU and the OSMRE agreed in 2005 to partner in an effort to protect and restore watersheds that historically supported trout populations and which now are adversely impacted by acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines. Local chapters of TU have since worked closely with the OSMRE to safely clean up numerous abandoned mines that posed significant risks to Appalachian watersheds.
- Lower Kettle Creek Watershed Restoration: Trout Unlimited worked for nearly two decades in Clinton County, Pa., to clean up and restore the lower section of Kettle Creek and its tributaries that are polluted from abandoned coal mine drainage. Three miles of previously dead streams have been restored and more than six miles of native brook trout fishery have been reconnected. Efforts are ongoing to complete the restoration and full recovery of the lower Kettle Creek watershed.
OSMRE Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program — TU and its partners rely on this federal grant program to restore streams polluted from abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania. These federal funds, which are subject to congressional approval as part of OSMRE’s annual budget, have helped to leverage millions of dollars from state and private grant programs. In particular, grants from this program helped TU to fund the mine drainage treatment projects that have led to brook trout recovery in northcentral Pennsylvania.
To Learn More:
- OSMRE website, here
- Trout Unlimited’s Eastern Abandoned Mines Project Page, here
- Trout Unlimited Congressional hearing letter of Support for OSMRE Abandoned Mine Lands Program (2017–06–07)
- Trout Unlimited President, Chris Wood testifies on Good Samaritan abandoned mine cleanup legislation (2017–05–24)
- Agency in Brief: More from the ShoutForTrout “Agency in Brief” series, here.
