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

  • 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

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 Schedules

How 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.