MARY JOSIE BLANCHARD, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
PROGRAM SUPPORT
OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING
WASHINGTON, DC

The Panel will discuss several methods/approaches used to seek public participation early in the process for activities such as rulemaking, permitting, and issue resolution. How do you use feedback provided by the public in the decision-making process? What are the efficiencies gained by allowing for public participation early in the process? How does this impact the resources required for policy development and implementation? How do you evaluate the costs/benefits of these activities? How do you carry out these efforts with limited resources?

Deborah Dalton, Deputy Director of Consensus and Dispute Resolution Programs, EPA
Francis X. (Chip) Cameron, Special Counsel for Public Liaison, Office of General Counsel, Nuclear Regulatory Commission - "Rulemet"
Patrick McGinley, Professor of Law, West Virginia University
Jack Mcgriffin, Executive Assistant, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Reclamation

AL KLEIN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR
APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COORDINATING CENTER
OSM PITTSBURGH, PA

As Federal agencies face declining resources, it is imperative that agencies join forces to strive for synergy and attempt to achieve resource efficiency in areas of mutual or similar jurisdiction. This session will examine some of the following past or existing partnerships between Federal agencies and their resulting effectiveness in meeting collective program goals:

• OSM, EPA, Corps of Engineers, NRCS, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources partnerships in the Statement of Mutual Intent for Restoration and Protection of Streams and Watersheds Polluted by Acid Mine Drainage From Abandoned Coal Mines.

• The Corps of Engineers partnering with OSM to encourage constructed wetlands as part of post mining land use--without the requirement of mitigation should the land use needs change in the future.

• OSM and EPA national partnership with states investigating incentives for abandoned mine land reclamation through remining or AML enhancement.

• The cooperative approach of OSM, MSHA, Fish & Wildlife Service, Commonwealth of Virginia used to deal with stream degradation caused by coal mine slurry impoundment leaks into underground mines.

• EPA, OSM, Corps of Engineers, Fish & Wildlife Service and the states joint examination of the impacts of surface mining excess spoil and coal waste disposal on aquatic habitat.

• The multi-agency Eastern Federal Mine Drainage Consortium and Mid-Atlantic Highlands Coordinating Council interagency interaction regarding environmental protection and restoration.

ROBERT EWING, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING
WASHINGTON, D.C.

It is generally known that a variety of Federal agencies collect information, and in some cases revenue, from the U.S. coal industry. What is often little known, however, are the unique legislative requirements and underlying needs that originally gave rise to these information collection efforts. Relying on representatives from the different agencies involved, this panel will provide a complete rundown on all aspects of their data gathering programs. This will include the legislative and regulatory background, forms, frequency, respondency rates, analyses, publications, disclosure restrictions, customers, and any changes under consideration. Panel discussion will focus on such questions as: How is the information being used? Are there untapped opportunities to share data? How can government and industry work together on improving the process?

Mary Paull, Coal Information Team Director, Energy Information Administration, Dept. Of Energy, Washington, D.C. - Coal production and pricing data collection and publication.

George Fesak, Director, Program Evaluation and Information Resources, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Dept. Of Labor, Arlington, VA. - All aspects of coal data collection by DOL organizations, including that on: safety and health by MSHA, workforce and compensation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Black Lung insurance by the Employee Standards Administration.

Stan Kuny, Agent-Excise Tax Specialist, Internal Revenue Service, Pittsburgh, PA. -Federal coal excise tax collection.

John Hovanec, Minerals Management Service, Dept. Of Interior, Lakewood, CO. - Collection of royalties from coal mined on Bureau of Land Management (Federal/Tribal land) leases.

Dennis Dechmerowski, Collections Team Accountant, Division of Financial Management, Office of Surface Mining, Lakewood, CO. - Reclamation fee collection.

RICK SEIBEL, REGIONAL DIRECTOR
WESTERN REGIONAL COORDINATING CENTER
DENVER, COLORADO

There are many processes related to a coal mining operation, including initial leasing, permitting, inspection, enforcement, oversight and reclamation. This panel will focus on how various Federal agencies coordinate and cooperate with each other and others in these efforts to ensure compliance with various Federal mandates, as well as the patterns and trends evolving in these activities. The focus of these presentations will be to illustrate and assess how Federal agencies, in a cooperative effort, can best plan to meet future needs, how best to redirect scarce resources, and to explore new ways of doing business, such as through partnerships and information exchange.

Steve Sheffield, Chief Division of Technology Support, Office of Surface Mining, Washington, DC. - Interaction and coordination of the AVS program with other Federal agencies

Al Davis, Chief, Safety Division, Mine Safety & Health Administration, Arlington, VA - MSHA Coordination; similarities between MSHA and SMCRA violations

Joe Piotrowski, Director, Water Protection Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Philadelphia, PA - SMCRA/Clean Water Act interaction

Gordon Cheniae, Field Director for Native American Minerals and Arizona Land Exchange Team, Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix, AZ and; Bill Clark, Manager, Federal and Indian Lands Program, Office of Surface Mining, Denver, CO and;

Genni Denetsone, Acting Assistant Navajo Area Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Gallup, NM - A mini-panel discussion on the GPRA requirement to consider cross-cutting programs such as those mandated under SMCRA as they relate to leasing, permitting and inspection and enforcement activities on Indian Lands.