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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 (PDF
file)). 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 (PDF File 1.4mb),
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. |
