The Denver Field Division (DFD) is comprised of the Denver Field Branch (DFB) and the Casper Area Office (CAO). For more information about the DFD, please contact Jeff Fleischman at (307) 261-6550.

Denver Field Branch

The Denver Field Branch (DFB) is located in Denver, Colorado, and is responsible for federal oversight of the regulatory and abandoned mine land (AML) programs in Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The primary agencies responsible for carrying out the provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) are the Alaska Division of Mining, Land and Water; the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety; the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division; and the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining.

The DFB's major responsibilities for oversight of regulatory and AML programs include inspections, enforcement, declaration of AML emergencies, and financial assistance (grants) to the States of Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. In addition, The DFB reviews and processes State Program Amendments for all Western Region states and tribes.

Performance Agreements have been established with each state agency to help measure each state’s success in meeting the goals of SMCRA. Copies of these agreements are available upon request from the DFB or from the appropriate state agency. Annual Evaluation Summary Reports of each state program are prepared each year based on these performance agreements. These reports are available on OSMRE’s website https://odocs.osmre.gov.

For more information about the DFB, please contact Howard Strand at (303) 236-2931.