OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION & ENFORCEMENT
For Release September 14, 1992
Alan Cole (202) 208-2719

UTAH SIGNS ROADS AGREEMENT WITH OSM

The State of Utah and the Interior Department's Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) have formalized an
agreement that clarifies how roads are to be regulated under the
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA).

The agreement was signed September 4, 1992, by Harry M. Snyder,
Director of OSM, and Dr. Dianne R. Nielson, Director of Utah's
Division of Oil, Gas & Mining.

Under the agreement, Utah will dismiss a court suit it filed
against OSM in January 1992 over the haul roads issue, while
withdrawing a disputed state policy concerning roads.  Utah also
agrees to amend its approved surface mining program so as to
include a definition of roads that corresponds to the federal
definition.  For its part, OSM agrees that, until further
rulemaking is undertaken concerning regulation of roads, it will
not require Utah coal mine operators with valid permits to revise
or amend their permits with regard to existing roads.

"This agreement not only resolves differing interpretations of what
the surface mining law says about roads, but also strengthens the
environmental partnership between Utah and the federal government,"
Snyder said.   "That's an important relationship, because OSM and
the public depend on primacy states like Utah to enforce the
surface mining law, with appropriate 'federal support."

Dr. Nielson commented:  "Settling the roads question solidifies our
confidence in OSM's oversight, contributing substantially to
regulatory stability in Utah."

OSM administers national standards under SMCRA requiring
environmental protection during coal mining and reclamation, and
reclaims pre-1977 abandoned mine lands.  The agency provides
support and oversight for approved state regulatory and reclamation
programs, and directly carries out such activities on federal and
Indian lands.  OSM was established in the Interior Department in
1977 under authority of SMCRA.

The Utah Division of Oil, Gas & Mining carries out a number of
regulatory responsibilities involving energy and mineral production
in Utah, including the environmental regulation of coal mining. 
The Division is the official regulatory authority for administering
Utah's approved program of coal mine permitting, inspections, and
enforcement under SMCRA.

-DOI-