Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement - Department of Interior
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE; http://www.osmre.gov/) carries out the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in cooperation with States and Tribes. Primary objectives are to ensure that coal mines are operated in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining and assures that the land is restored to beneficial use following mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines. In regulating active coal mining, OSMRE seeks to maintain compliance at high levels and ensure that all mines are properly operated and promptly reclaimed to the standards established under the Act. Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) - ARRI is an OSM initiative that encourages the reforestation of coal mined lands in the Eastern United States.