Coal reserves in Kansas underlie an area of about 18,000 square miles or 23 percent of the State. The demonstrated coal reserve is estimated to be 0.977 billion tons which is 0.2 percent of the nation's reserves. Kansas coal varies from lignite in north central Kansas to highly volatile bituminous in southeastern Kansas. The average number of tons of overburden stripped to each ton of coal recovered is about 13:1. Coal seams in Kansas are usually one to three feet thick. Only the bituminous coal of southeastern Kansas is currently being mined and is primarily used for electricity generation. Since peaking at seven million tons in 1917, coal production in Kansas has steadily declined. Kansas mines produced 428,901 tons of coal in 2008, all from surface operations.

• Regulation and Reclamation

  • The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Surface Mining Section (SMS), was established in 1969 by the Mined-Land Conservation and Reclamation Act. The Kansas program under SCMRA was fully approved by OSM in 1981. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Surface Mining Section (SMS) has responsibility for SMCRA activities related to active coal mining (Title V) and responsibility for SMCRA activities related to abandoned coal mines (Title IV) in the State of Kansas.

    Kansas has an active abandoned mine land emergency program which addresses AML features located in residential or commercial areas and along public roads. Kansas also addresses hazards related to subsidence features and vertical openings left by underground extraction of lead and zinc ores.

• State Contacts

  • Kansas
    Abandoned Mine Lands (Title IV)	Regulatory (Title V)
    State Program Links
    Kansas Department of Health and Environment: Surface Mining Section

• Grants

  • Kansas grant reports and related documents are contained in the official grant file maintained at the:

    Mid-Continent Region
    501 Belle Street, Suite 215
    Alton, IL 62002
    
    Telephone: (618) 463-6460
    Fax: (618) 463-6470

    They can be reviewed during normal business hours. Alternatively, these documents can be requested through the Tulsa Field Office and a copy of the grant file will be made available. The copy may be requested in paper or electronic format.

• Oversight

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    What is Oversight?

    OSMRE defines "oversight", as the "process of evaluating and assisting states [and tribes] in the administration, implementation, and maintenance of approved programs. In collaboration with each state/tribe, OSMRE develops a Performance Agreement/Evaluation Plan tailored to the unique conditions of each state/tribe program. Performance Agreements/Evaluation Plans between OSM and the states establish how oversight is conducted during each evaluation year.

    Learn more about OSMRE's National Oversight Program.

    Oversight Documents

    To view oversight documents visit, OSMRE's REG-8 Oversight Database: