WELCOME TO THE WESTERN REGION

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is a bureau of the U. S. Department o f the Interior. The Western Region office is responsible for overseeing the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977, generally west of the Mississippi River in the states that have coal mining activities. We also have primary responsibilities for coal mining that occurs or has occurred on Indian Lands in the west.

For more information about the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in the Western Region, please click on About Us and Contact Us pages.

Announcement

OSM’s Program Support Division has received a significant revision on Indian lands permitted under our permanent program performance standards from BHP Navajo Coal Company (BNCC) for Navajo Mine. The application proposes to add new mine support facilities and infrastructure including an industrial facility, a coal storage and blending facility and an overland conveyor system in Area IV North of the BNCC lease. The facilities will be used in conjunction with the proposed Desert Rock Energy Project (DREP).  [ more ]

The reopened comment period on the draft environmental impact statement closes on July 7, 2008. OSMRE has received a number of requests to suspend or extend the reopened comment period, including the following June 13, 2008, letter request from the Natural Resources Defense Council and others. [ more ]

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) hereby gives notice of the availability of an Environmental Assessment Environmental Assessment [35 KB, ] analyzing the impacts to relocate approximately 5.2 miles of Burnham Road (BIA Road N5802) to the eastern portion of BHP Navajo Coal Company’s Navajo Mine. [ more ]