National Technical Training Program (NTTP)
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) established the National Technical Training Program (NTTP) in 1985, recognizing the need for an ongoing educational program to increase the technical competence and professionalism of Federal, State, and Tribal personnel located in Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) agencies. The program delivers training related to permit approval, bond release, reclamation, and enforcement through a collaborative effort by OSMRE, State and Tribal instructors. The training serves to build and update technical expertise and fosters consistent application of standards. Training is provided in each of the disciplines involved in implementation of SMCRA, which include aquatic biology, geology, engineering, hydrology, blasting, agronomy, and botany.
Courses Available
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Courses Offered by NTTP
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Course Name Length Acid-Forming Materials: Fundamentals and Applications 4 days Acid-Forming Materials: Soils and Overburden 4 days ML Design Workshop: Dangerous Highwalls 4 days AML Design Workshop: Dangerous Openings 4 days AML Design Workshop: Fires 4 days AML Design Workshop: Landslides 4 days AML Design Workshop: Subsidence 4 days AML Drilling and Grouting 4 days AML Reclamation Projects 3 1/2 days Applied Engineering Principles 4 days Blasting and Inspection 3 days Advanced Blasting: Investigation and Analysis of Adverse Effects 3 1/2 days Bonding Workshop: Cost Estimation 3 days Coalield Communications: How to Get It Right! 3 days Enforcement Procedures 3 days Enforcement Tools and Applications 2 days Erosion and Sediment Control 3 days Evidence Preparation and Testimony 3 days Excess Spoil Handling and Disposal in Steep-Slope Topography 2 1/2 days Expert Witness 3 days Forensic Hydrologic Investigation 3 1/2 days Geology and Geochemistry of Acid-Forming Materials 4 days Historical and Archaeological Resources 3 days Instructor Training Course 5 days Master Instructor Forum 2 1/2 days Mine Gas Safety and Investigation Course 2 days NEPA Procedures 3 days Passive Treatment: Theory and Application Workshop 3 1/2 days Permit Findings Workshop 2 days Permitting Hydrology 3 1/2 days Principles of Inspection 3 1/2 days Quantitative Hydrogeology 3 1/2 days Soils and Revegetation 4 days Subsidence 3 days Surface and Groundwater Hydrology 3 1/2 days SMCRA: Permitting and the Endangered Species Act: Implementation of the 1996 Biological Opinion 3 days SMCRA Principles and Field Procedures 8 1/2 days Underground Mining Technology 4 days Wetlands Awareness 2 1/2 days
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NTTP Training Schedule
The classes being offered are based on customer needs that have been surveyed from our OSMRE, State and Tribal offices. We do not offer all of our courses in a given year due to funding considerations, instructor availability and the lack of spaces requested in that particular class. Prior to selecting a class, we encourage you to look at the course description in the National Technical Training Program and Technical Innovation and Professional Services Catalog and the Career Series Guide to see if this class is right for your needs. Please note each class listed on our schedule has a coordinator assigned to them. These are the people to contact concerning that particular session.
FY 2017 Training SchedulesHow Do We Develop Our Schedule and Assign Spaces?
Each spring, OSMRE conducts a Training Needs Survey for the upcoming fiscal year (October - September) to determine the training needs of the around 2,000 OSMRE, State and Tribal regulatory and reclamation staff. NTTP analyzes the survey results to determine if there is sufficient interest to justify offering a course and if so the number of sessions to hold. The number of requests for courses usually exceeds the number of available spaces by 55-60 percent, therefore NTTP assign spaces in the classes instead of allowing those who register first in DOI Learn to have a guaranteed space. This allows us to allocate at least one space to an office when they have a mission critical need for training in our classes. In the fall, the allocations are sent to your designated Training Contact. Please contact your Training Contact if you are interested in attending our classes. If you do not know who your training contact is, please contact us at (202) 208-2769 and we will refer you to the appropriate person.
Enroll in a Class
SMCRA-related State and Tribal agencies: Each office has a designated training contact who works with OSMRE to enroll you in NTTP classes. If you do not know who that person is, please contact us at (202) 208-2769 and we will refer you to the appropriate person.
OSMRE offices: Employees must go to DOI Learn to register for our classes. You will need to also contact your designated training contact who will assist you in submitting the necessary paperwork to attend our classes.
Non-SMCRA agencies: Please look over the course offerings and the schedule and contact the coordinator assigned to that particular class. If there is extra space available in a class, you may be able to attend. OSMRE is not authorized to pay your travel costs associated with attending our classes.