WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rich Nolan, President and CEO of the National Mining Association (NMA), today issued the following statement on the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s (OSM) revisions to ten-day notice (TDN) regulations under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA):
“Today’s action ends prior overreach that eroded the primacy of the states under SMCRA. Outdated regulations previously resulted in both an unnecessary duplication of efforts between state and federal authorities, and an improper weaponization of the process, pitting state regulatory authorities against their federal counterparts with mining operators finding themselves in the middle. These changes better align the regulations with the true statutory intent of SMCRA, which is to provide the states with exclusive authority to regulate coal mining under a state program that is approved by the Secretary of the Interior. This kind of regulatory clarity will ensure that the coal industry – which provides affordable energy for Americans who have been hit so hard this past year, and is vital for the steelmaking that will be in high demand for infrastructure projects – is able to support our nation’s economic recovery post-pandemic.”
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