HomeMy WebLinkAbout20200704.tiffUnited States Department of the Interior
OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING
Reclamation and Enforcement
Western Region Office
1999 Broadway, Suite 3320
Denver, CO 80202-3050
FEB 1 8 2020
Dear Sir or Madam:
RECEIVED
FEB 2 5 2020
WELD COUNTY
COMMISSIONFPC
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 (IMR) 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.ostrire.govi. The next evaluation year runs from July 1, 2020, through June 30,
2021.
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.
Please contact us by March 30, 2020 with any input on our annual evaluation process or to
request discussions with OSMRE's Western Region Office. You may e-mail us at
cbelka@osmre.gov, phone (303) 293-5020, or mail us a letter at the Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, Denver Field Division, Attn: Christine Belka, 1999 Broadway,.
Suite 3320, Denver, Colorado 80202. If you prefer to receive this annual outreach letter by
email in the future, please provide us with your email address.
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Sincerely,
Christine Belka
Senior Regulatory Program Specialist
OSMRE / Denver Field Branch
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2020-0704
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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