Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement OSMRE

Strip mining for coal spread rapidly after World War II, leaving scarred hillsides, polluted streams, and landslides across Appalachia and the West. After President Ford twice vetoed regulation, President Carter signed the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act on August 3, 1977, which created the Office of Surface Mining. The law requires coal companies to obtain permits, post bonds, and restore mined land to its approximate original contour.

The law follows a model of cooperative federalism. Most coal states have taken over day-to-day permitting and inspection under programs approved by the office, which oversees them and steps in when a state fails to enforce. The office also manages the Abandoned Mine Land fund, financed by a fee on every ton of coal mined, which pays to close dangerous shafts, stabilize slopes, and treat acid drainage at mines abandoned before 1977. The 2021 infrastructure law added about $11.3 billion for that cleanup.

Its rules on mining near streams have shifted with each administration. A Stream Protection Rule finalized in late 2016 was overturned by Congress under the Congressional Review Act in February 2017. Supporters of tighter rules point to water contamination and the health of mining communities, while opponents argue that stricter federal standards cost jobs in coal regions already hit by the industry's decline.