In 1977 the Congress of the United States passed Public Law 95-87
(PL 95-87), the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). This
law established performance standards for coal mining operations for the express
purpose of protecting society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface
coal mining operations.
Under the conditions of PL 95-87 states in which surface coal mining
operations were located had eighteen months from the date of enactment in which
to submit a state program covering surface coal mining and reclamation operations
or to comply with a program administered by the
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) of the
Department of the Interior. In 1979 the 72nd General Assembly of the State of
Arkansas passed the Arkansas Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act of 1979 (Act
134 of 1979, as amended by Act 647 of 1979).
This Act authorized the state to develop, adopt, issue and amend rules and regulations
pertaining to surface coal mining and reclamation operations. These regulations
must be consistent with but no more restrictive than the regulations issued by the
Secretary of the Interior pursuant to PL 95-87.
On July 25, 1980 the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission
adopted
Regulation 20, the Arkansas Surface Coal Mining
and Reclamation Code (ASCMRC).
Active Coal Mining Sites
Active coal mining sites are inspected on a monthly basis. These
inspections are conducted by personnel from the Russellville Field Office. Notices
of Violation and Cessation Orders may be issued by the inspectors at the site when
infractions of the ASCMRC are noted.
Abandoned Mine Lands (AML)
Pursuant to Title IV of PL 95-87, SMRD handles the reclamation
of abandoned coal mines that existed prior to the passage of PL 95-87. A trust fund
was created by PL 95-87 that is contributed to by a fee assessed on every ton of
coal mined in the country. OSMRE provides a portion of this money to the states
for the design and contracting of the reclamation of these pre-law abandoned coal
mine sites. SMRD currently uses state of the art surveying and computer aided design
systems to perform all of the functions necessary to produce reclamation plans for
the AML sites in Arkansas. SMRD then contracts through the State Building Services
to have the projects completed.