HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210544.tiffUnited States Department of the Interior
OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING
Reclamation and Enforcement
Western Region Office
P.O. Box 25065
Lakewood, CO 80225-0065
February 19, 2021
Dear Sir or Madam:
Each year the United States Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement (OSMRE), and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Division of
Reclamation Mining and Safety (DRMS), jointly evaluate DRMS's coal mining regulatory and
Inactive Mine Reclamation (11V1R) programs as authorized under the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act (SMCRA). We determine how effectively DRMS's coal regulatory program
ensures contemporaneous and successful reclamation on active coal mines in Colorado and
prevents offsite impacts to lands and waters adjacent to coal mine permit areas. We also
determine how effectively the DRMS IMR program is using grant funding to address public
safety and environmental hazards related to historic mining operations in Colorado. Our
evaluation process includes the selection of specific regulatory and IMR topics that address these
criteria.
At the end of each evaluation year, OSMRE reports on DRMS's implementation of these
programs. Our Annual Evaluation Reports can be accessed at the following website:
http://odocs.osmre.gov/. The next evaluation year runs from July 1, 2021, through June 30,
2022.
We are requesting your comments on OSMRE's oversight of DRMS's coal regulatory and IMR
programs, recommendations for evaluation topics, and suggestions for improving future Annual
Evaluation Reports. We are also providing you the opportunity to discuss ideas and concerns
pertinent to the Colorado programs with OSMRE's Western Region Office in Denver.
If you have any suggestions or questions on our annual evaluation process, or if you would like
to initiate a discussion with OSMRE, please contact us by March 30, 2021. For comments
regarding both the regulatory program and the AML program, you may e-mail me at
dmackinnon@osmre.gov, phone me at (970) 310-5993, or mail a letter to the Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Denver Field Division, Attn: Daniel MacKinnon, P.O.
Box 25065 Lakewood, CO 80225. If you wish to receive this annual outreach letter by email in
the future, please provide us with your email address.
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Sincerely,
DANIEL Digitally signed by
DANIEL MAC NNON
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Daniel MacKinnon
Natural- Resources Specialist
0SMRE / Denver Field Branch
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Regulatory Oversight Team:
Christine Belka (OSMRE), Michael Cunningham (DRMS), Jared Ebert (DRMS), Dan
MacKinnon (OSMRE), Travis Marshall (DRMS), Tom Medlin (OSMRE), and Jason Musick
(DRMS).
Inactive Mine Reclamation Oversight Team:
Dan MacKinnon (OSMRE), Tom Medlin (OSMRE), and Jeff Graves (DRMS).
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