Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement
For Release May 27, 1997
Alan Cole (202) 208-2719; acole@osmre.gov

               SURFACE  MINING  AGENCY  LAUNCHES
                     CITIZEN  AWARD  PROGRAM
     The Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
(OSM) today announced it is establishing a program of Citizen Awards to recognize outstanding
contributions by coalfield citizens and grassroots organizations to the implementation of the
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA).

     OSM Acting Director Kathrine Henry said nominations from the public are being sought
in 2 categories: Regional Awards, and Partnership Awards.  In addition, OSM will present a
Director's Award recognizing an individual's lifetime contributions toward the implementation
of SMCRA.

     Nominations must be received at OSM Regional Coordinating Centers by June 27, 1997. 
Awards will be presented August 3, 1997, in connection with SMCRA 20th anniversary
observances.

     "Citizen participation is at the heart of the surface mining program," Henry said.  "The
surface mining law would not have come into being without the sustained efforts of coalfield
citizens crusading to end the environmental abuses of the past and shift the country to new ways
of mining coal with built-in safeguards for people and the environment."

     "Once the surface mining law was passed, it created many avenues for citizens to get
involved," Henry said.  "Thus individual citizens have a statutory role in practically every phase
of the surface mining program   from permit decisions to inspections, rulemaking petitions,
comments on proposed rules, participation in hearings, state program evaluations, court cases,
reclamation plans, emergency projects, and protection of sensitive resources by petitioning to
have fragile lands declared unsuitable for surface coal mining."


     "Over the years that SMCRA has been on the books, coalfield citizens have used those
provisions to help shape virtually all of the policies and programs that govern surface coal
mining and reclamation in America," Henry said.  "At the 20-year mark, it is only fitting for
those whose contributions have meant the most to receive public recognition for their efforts on
behalf of safeguarding the coalfield environment and protecting people's homes and farms from
potentially damaging effects of coal mining."

     "The fact that both the environment and the coal industry have thrived since 1977 is a
testimony to the value and the practicality of public participation in the surface mining program,"
Henry said.

     Nominations should give the name, address, and telephone number of the individual or
grassroots organization being recommended for a Citizen Award, plus organizational affiliation,
if any.  The most important part of the nomination is a brief description (2-3 pages) of the
nominee's work on behalf of the implementation of SMCRA programs and activities. 
Completed nominations should be sent to the nearest OSM Regional Coordinating Center:

            Appalachian Regional Coordinating Center
                    Office of Surface Mining
                        3 Parkway Center
                     Pittsburgh, PA   15220
                       FAX (412) 937-2903
                                
           Mid-Continent Regional Coordinating Center
                    Office of Surface Mining
                     Alton Federal Building
                        501 Belle Street
                       Alton, IL   62002
                       FAX (618) 463-6470
                                
              Western Regional Coordinating Center
                    Office of Surface Mining
                   1999 Broadway   Suite 3320
                    Denver, CO   80202-5733
                       FAX (303)844-1522
                                
                              -DOI-

NOTE:  Official rules for the OSM Citizen Awards Program are attached.

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