WELCOME TO THE WESTERN REGION

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is a bureau of the U. S. Department o f the Interior. The Western Region office is responsible for overseeing the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977, generally west of the Mississippi River in the states that have coal mining activities. We also have primary responsibilities for coal mining that occurs or has occurred on Indian Lands in the west.

For more information about the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in the Western Region, please click on About Us and Contact Us pages.

Announcement

On December 22, 2008, OSMRE issued a record of decision approving Peabody Western Coal Company’s mine permit revision application for the Black Mesa Complex. The record of decision consists of five parts:

Contents, Memorandum, Map, Chronology, Findings and Approval, Permit, and Environmental Impact Statement [1.22 MB, ]

Endangered Species Act [7 MB, ]

Letters [33 KB, ]

Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Assessment [10 MB, ]

Technical analyses  [2 MB, ]

By letter dated December 22, 2008, OSMRE notified commenters on the permit application of the right of affected persons to appeal the permit decision. 
OSMRE Letter dated December 22,2008 [105 KB, ]