COALEX REPORT 223

	Coalex Report 223

This is the Office of Surface Mining's library of COALEX Research Reports. COALEX is a database of mining and reclamation information, including the Surface Mining Law and regulations, maintained in LEXIS-NEXIS -- a commercial, on-line research service. These reports have been compiled under a cooperative agreement between the Office of Surface Mining and the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, which represents most U.S. coal producing states. The following report includes an analysis of a specific issue requested by a state regulatory authority with responsibility for carrying out the Surface Mining Law. Copies of the research reports and attachments are available to the public, upon request. For additional information, or to obtain copies of the listed attachments, contact Ron Tarquinio by phone at (202) 208-2882 or by e-mail at rtarquin@osmre.gov.

                   

COALEX STATE COMPARISON REPORT - 223
July, 1992
          
          Karen Jacobs, Esquire
Department of Mines and Minerals
Land Reclamation Division
300 West Jefferson Street, Suite 300
P.O. Box 10137
Springfield, Illinois 62791-0137

TOPIC: ORGANIZATION OF TITLE IV AND TITLE V REGULATORY AGENCIES

INQUIRY: The regulation of Illinois's Title IV (Abandoned Mined Lands or "AML") program is
housed in an agency that is separate from that which houses the Title V (surface mining and
reclamation) program. How do other IMCC member states organize their AML and SMCRA
agencies? 

SEARCH RESULTS: A telephone survey of nine IMCC member states was conducted. All of the
states contacted house Title IV and V regulatory programs within the same "natural resources
department". Some states regulate the programs in "sister divisions" within the same
"department"; other states house both programs as "sections" within the same "division". [Note:
As used here, the largest organizational unit is the "natural resources department", followed by
the "division" and then the "section".] The precise number of organizational "levels" from the
largest unit to the one that regulates surface mining and AML programs differs from state to
state. A summary of the state organizational levels (largest unit to specific regulatory agency)
follows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INDIANA
Department of Natural Resources
Bureau of Reclamation
     Title IV Section (AML)
     Title V Section (surface mining regulatory program)


KENTUCKY
Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet
Department for Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement
     Division of Abandoned Lands
     Division of Permits
     Division of Field Services


MARYLAND
Department of Natural Resources
Water Resources Administration
Bureau of Mines (one of four divisions)
     AML Section
     Permits Section
     Inspection and Enforcement Section
     Planning, Analysis and Laboratory Section


MISSOURI
Department of Natural Resources
Division of Environmental Quality (one of five divisions)
Land Reclamation Program
     AML Section
     Mining and Reclamation Section


OHIO
Department of Natural Resources
Division of Reclamation (one of about 12 divisions)
     Title IV (AML) Section
     Title V (surface mining regulatory) Section


OKLAHOMA
Department of Pollution Control and Ecology
Mining Division
     Title IV (AML) 
     Title V (surface mining regulatory) 


PENNSYLVANIA
Department of Environmental Resources
Mineral Resources Management
     Bureau of Abandoned Mine Lands (Title IV)
     Bureau of Mining and Reclamation (Title V)


VIRGINIA
Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy
Division of Mined Land Reclamation (one of six divisions)
     AML Section
     Regulatory program Section


WEST VIRGINIA
Department of Commerce, Labor and Environmental Resources
Division of Environmental Protection
     Office of Abandoned Mine Lands
     Office of Mining and Reclamation


Survey conducted by: Joyce Zweben Scall

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