30th Anniversary 1977–2007

The United States possesses one-fourth of the world’s coal resources, with more than 275 billion tons of recoverable reserves.  More than half the electricity generated in our country comes from coal-fired utilities.  Because we rely on it so heavily and because we have so much that we can rely on our own reserves, coal makes a crucial contribution to maintaining our Nation’s energy security.

The Surface Mining Control, Reclamation and Enforcement Act of 1977 (SMCRA) protects the environment and safeguards public health and safety during mining and restores the land to beneficial use when mining is done.

For the past 30 years, under the authority of the Surface Mining Act, the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) and its partners, the States and Indian Tribes, have worked diligently to balance our nation’s need for domestic coal production and the protection.  Since 1977, about 29.5 billion tons of coal have been mined responsibly under SMCRA.

View the links below to learn more about the Surface Mining Control, Reclamation and Enforcement Act of 1977 (SMCRA).

·         SMCRA Amendments of 2006: P.L. 109-432 (Law 12/20/06)

·         Surface Mining Control Act Law