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Indian Lands Program

Regulation of Coal Mining and Reclamation Operations on Indian Lands

OSMRE is the regulatory authority on all coal mining and reclamation operations located on Indian Lands. Indian Lands means all lands, including mineral interests, within the exterior boundaries of any Federal Indian reservation, notwithstanding the issuance of any patent, and including rights-of-way and all lands including mineral interests held in trust for or supervised by an Indian tribe. 

Currently, OSMRE is the regulatory authority on coal mining and reclamation operations located on the Crow, Hopi, Navajo and Ute Mountain Ute reservations and all lands supervised by those tribes.  As the regulatory authority, OSMRE is responsible for:

  • The review of applications to conduct mining and reclamation operations
  • Inspection of coal mining and reclamation operations to ensure public and environmental health protection
  • Ensuring the full reclamation of the site before the lands are returned to the tribes

The Indian Lands Program is responsible for administering permitting activities associated with properties across the nation.  

Four of these properties currently involve active mining and reclamation operations, while the remaining four no longer are being disturbed and involve only reclamation activities.

To ensure the protection of public and environmental health, OSMRE works in partnership with tribal governments, other federal agencies, such as: the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers. More information on this federal partnership with BIA and BLM can be found in Attachment G of the Onshore Energy & Mineral Lease Management Interagency Standard Operating Procedures.pdf

For more information on OSMRE's Indian Lands Program, contact  Mychal Yellowman at myellowman@osmre.gov 

Reclaimed landscape at McKinley North Mine on the Navajo Nation
Reclaimed land at McKinley North Mine on the Navajo Nation

 

Photo showing where the coal conveyor belt line was with a mostly cloudy sky with sunbeams shining down behind the coal silo.
Kayenta Mine coal conveyor belt has been removed and its corridor has been reclaimed

UPDATE: September 27, 2022 Public Meeting

The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Western Region (OSMRE) will hold an in-person public meeting to discuss the two proposed Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) performance bond release applications. The bond release applications submitted by Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC) request the release of Phase I bond and liability on 929 acres in portions of the J19, J21W, and N9 areas and Phase II bond and liability on 2,650 acres in portions of the J16, J19, and J21 areas at the Kayenta Mine located in northern Navajo County, Arizona.  

 Copies of the bond release applications are available for public review at the following locations:  

  • The Navajo Nation Minerals Department, Office of Surface Mining, Window Rock, AZ 86515 
  • Forest Lake Chapter House Navajo Route 41, 17 Miles North of Pinon, Pinon, AZ 86510 
  • PWCC’s Kayenta Mine Mesa Central Warehouse Office Complex, 8 miles from Hwy 160 and Route 41 Junction, Kayenta Arizona 86033 
  • Hopi Tribe, Office of Mining and Mineral Resources, Highway 264, Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039 
  • OSMRE website: https://www.osmre.gov/programs/regulating-active-coal-mines/indian-lands  Then scroll down to and expand “Kayenta Mine Complex (Includes Black Mesa Mine)”

On September 27th, 2022, 8:00 AM -12:00 PM (Mountain Daylight Time), OSMRE will hold an in-person meeting on PWCC’s J19, J21W, and N9 application for Phase I bond release and the J16, J19, and J21 application for Phase II bond release at the Kayenta Mine, SMCRA permit AZ-0001F.  The meeting will take place outside of the Forest Lake Chapter House.  Please be prepared for all weather types and to follow all Navajo Nation COVID-19 safe practice guidelines including mask wearing and practice social distancing between attendees.  The Forest Lake Chapter House is located 17 miles north of Pinon, Arizona on Navajo Route 41.   

A Navajo Language interpreter will be available during the meeting to interpret the presentation, questions, or comments.  Questions on the public meeting should be addressed to Amy Ryser, OSMRE One Denver Federal Center, Building 41, Lakewood, CO 80225 or at (303) 236-4690 or aryser@osmre.gov  

Kayenta Mine Complex Story Map

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/eb1a9eaa0db1467dabfe616f02c1a53c

Virtual Informal Conference

OSMRE held a virtual informal conference on January 27, 2022, to receive comments on two proposed Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) performance bond release applications submitted by Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC).

The virtual informal conference was held to discuss PWCC’s J19, J21W, and N9 application for Phase I bond release and the J16, J19, and J21 application for Phase II bond release at the Kayenta Mine, SMCRA permit AZ-0001F. A copy of the entire virtual informal conference is available below:

OSMRE is accepting written comments until February 7, 2022, on the 2 proposed bond release applications.  Written comments should be addressed to:

Amy Ryser
OSMRE One Denver Federal Center
Building 41
Lakewood, CO 80225

Copies of the bond release applications are available below under "related materials" as well as for public review at the following locations:

  • The Navajo Nation Minerals Department, Office of Surface Mining, Window Rock, AZ 86515
  • Forest Lake Chapter House Navajo Route 41, 14 Miles North of Pinon, Pinon, AZ 86510
  • PWCC’s Kayenta Mine Mesa Central Warehouse Office Complex, 8 miles from Hwy 160 and Route 41 Junction, Kayenta Arizona 86033
  • Hopi Tribe, Office of Mining and Mineral Resources, Highway 264, Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039

For more information on the Kayenta Mine Complex contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Amy Ryser at aryser@osmre.gov 

Materials Related to Kayenta and Black Mesa Mines Bond Releases:

 

Reclaim Restore & More Podcast with Mychal Yellowman on the Kayenta and Black Mesa mine sites

Photograph looking down on heavy machinery demolishing and removing the Black Mesa Preparation Plant buildings and facilities.
Black Mesa Preparation Plant - Heavy machinery demolishing and removing  buildings and all associated facilities. 

The Black Mesa Preparation Plant is located on Hopi and Navajo land.  No coal was mined within its 40 acre footprint, but it was used by the Black Mesa Mine. The Black Mesa Preparation Plant is under full reclamation. 

For more information on the Black Mesa Preparation Plant, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Amy Ryser at aryser@osmre.gov

 

Photo of reclamation activities at the Navajo Mine. The photo has undisturbed badlands in the background and then different phase of reclamation in the foreground. The phase show fully reclaimed to newly topsoiled land.
Navajo Mine - Background shows undisturbed natural badlands with reclaimed land in foreground

The Navajo & Pinabete Mines are located on the Navajo Nation near Fruitland, New Mexico. The Navajo & Pinabete Mines are surface mining operations and are the only active mining operations on the Navajo Nation. 

For more information on the Navajo & Pinabete Mines, contact Acting OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Flynn Dickinson at fdickinson@osmre.gov

 

Photo of hand gently holding a horned toad lizard at the McKinely Mine on the Navajo Nation
"Cheii" (horned toad lizard) that has made its home on reclaimed land at the McKinley North Mine on the Navajo Nation

The McKinley North Mine is located on the Navajo Nation near Tse Bonito, New Mexico.  The McKinley Mine only had reclamation activities. 

For more information on the McKinley North Mine, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Alex Birchfield at abirchfield@osmre.gov

 

Photograph showing the low-cover crossing at King II Mine. The low-cover crossing is a structure composed of corrugated metal tunnels buried underground to connect underground workings.
King II Mine - Construction of the low-cover crossing to connect areas of the underground coal mine

The King II Mine is an underground mine that is partially located under private land owned by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The mine is near Hesperus, Colorado. 

For more information on the Kind II Mine, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Jeremy Spangler at jspangler@osmre.gov

 

Photograph showing various stages of reclamation at the Absaloka South Mine on Crow Land. From background to foreground it shows undisturbed trees, re-vegetation, topsoil laydown and graded spoil on a hill landscape.
Absaloka Mine - Various stages of reclamation from fully seeded in background to topsoil distribution and re-grading of spoil to approximate original contour in the foreground. 

OSMRE's Casper Field Office is the regulatory authority for the Absaloka South Mine.  The Absaloka South Mine is located on Crow Tribal Surface.  

For more information on the Absaloka South Mine, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Frank Bartlett at fbartlett@osmre.gov 

OSMRE's Tulsa Field Office is the regulatory authority for the McCurtain Mine. The McCurtain Mine is located within the external boundaries of the historic Choctaw Nation Reservation in Oklahoma.  

For more information on the McCurtain Mine, contact Brian Hicks at bhicks@osmre.gov.

Farrell-Cooper Mining Company has applied to OSMRE for a permit to mine coal by underground methods. Under the federal Indian lands program, permit OK-042F-CC essentially would be a reissue of permit 4285F that had been issued by the Oklahoma Department of Mines in March 2012.

Any person whose interest may be adversely affected by the reissuance of the permit may make written comments to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 501 Belle Street, Suite 216, Alton, IL 62002.

Comments, objections, or request for an informal conference must be submitted by October 1, 2022.