OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION & ENFORCEMENT

For release November 1, 1994       Jerry Childress (202) 208-2719

         COALEX COMPUTER DATA BASE OPEN TO PUBLIC ACCESS

Robert Uram, Director of the Interior Department's Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), today announced that he is
opening OSM's COALEX computer data base to public access for the first
time.

"Making COALEX available to all citizens will improve OSM's ability to
implement and enforce the federal surface mining law, and help us do a
better job of customer service, especially for citizens of the coal
fields," Uram said.  "Up to now, the public has only had access
through law libraries and public document repositories to information
that can be referenced on-line via COALEX."

"Wider access to the system will enhance public participation in
administration and operation of the surface mine reclamation program,
while providing a more level playing field for all parties affected by
the surface mining law," Uram said.

COALEX is a searchable computerized collection of legal, legislative,
and regulatory materials related to the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA).  It contains:

  -- The full text of SMCRA and all its amendments;
  -- Legislative history of SMCRA;
  -- All OSM regulations (past and current);
  -- Current and past statutes and regulations of approved state

regulatory programs;

  -- OSM Federal Register notices, including preambles, through June
1981.  (Federal Register notices after June 1981 from all agencies,
including OSM, are available through Mead Data Central's Lexis
service.)

  -- OSM-related Administrative Law Judge decisions from the Interior
Department Board of Surface Mining Appeals and the Interior Board of
Land Appeals; and,

  -- All current OSM directives.

Previously available only to OSM authorized users, COALEX is now
available to the public on a fee-for-subscription basis.  The service
is operated commercially by Mead Data Central through its ENVIR
library.  The transition to public access was completed on October 1,
1994.  Updates to all files in the system will continue to be supplied
by OSM.

For information on how to access COALEX data, contact Mead Data
Central, (800) 543-6862, or OSM's COALEX representative, Ms.  Leslie
Stream, (202) 208-2840.


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