Mountaintop mines are surface coal mines that remove coal from seams running through the upper areas of a mountain or ridge. Whenever rock is removed to mine the coal, more material results than can be placed back into the mining excavation. Called "excess spoil," this material is typically placed in valleys or hollow fills located in adjacent headwater valleys. The size and extent of these excess spoil fills have raised concerns over the loss of streams, destruction of fish and wildlife habitat, and impaired aesthetics. The Department, through its Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), regulates mountaintop mining and valley fills under the provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also regulate these activities under the provisions of the Clean Water Act.
The Department's OSMRE and Fish and Wildlife Service cooperated in the development of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) released in 2005. Other agencies participating in the study were the COE, EPA, and the state of West Virginia. This document includes a wide array of technical information on the impacts of mountaintop mining, the current regulatory requirements for such mining, and proposes methods for better coordination of the federal agencies responsible for regulating coal mining activities to minimize environmental impacts.
Interior is committed by the requirements of SMCRA to regulate coal mining in a way that balances environmental protection with responsible coal production to meet the nation's energy needs. OSM will continue to develop regulatory requirements to minimize environmental impacts of coal mining as well as coordinate with other agencies to ensure that SMCRA requirements are consistent with Clean Water Act provisions and allow the regulated industry to minimize duplication in data collection, analysis, and processes among the federal agencies involved.
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