Public Service Commission, North Dakota

Jurisdiction: Coal Mine Reclamation

Phone: 701-328-4096
Fax: 701-328-2133
E-mail: jdeutsch@nd.gov

Information and Fact Sheets	Mission Statement
Revegetation Success Standards (2.68Mb pdf)	OSM Homepage
Policy Memoranda	OSM 2007 Evaluation Report (1.6 Mb pdf)
Comparison of State and Federal Provisions (129kb pdf)
Rusle106 Link to Powerpoint viewer
Note: Go to State Procurement Online for state procurement practices and principles.

INFORMATION AND FACT SHEETS

Power Point Presentation (21 kb pdf)
Citizen Participation (31 kb pdf)
Coal Mining and Reclamation (56 kb pdf)
North Dakota's Active Coal Mines
North Dakota's Mineral Resources (49 kb pdf)
Summary of Revegetation (66 kb pdf)
Inspection & Enforcement (28 kb pdf)
Revegetation (30 kb pdf)
Performance Bond (36 kb pdf)
Blasting (29 kb pdf)
Mine Waste Disposal (29 kb pdf)

THE NORTH DAKOTA SURFACE COAL MINING REGULATORY PROGRAM

The Commission's Reclamation Division is charged with the responsibility of administering the State's program regulating the surface mining of coal. The program is primarily an environmental protection program. The Reclamation Division's mission statement is as follows:

The Reclamation Division strives to administer the surface coal mining and reclamation program mandated by state and federal law to achieve optimum results in a cost-effective and fair manner, and to ensure that mining operations subject to this program are conducted in such a way that they:

Are environmentally sound and minimize adverse effects; Protect public interest and the rights of property owners; Return mined lands to beneficial uses; and Restore the productivity of mined agricultural lands to premine levels.

Related goals are to: Continually carry out the mine permitting, inspection and bond release activities in a manner that provides the required protection to the environment and property owners while being responsive to needs of the mining industry. Continually evaluate and adjust the regulatory program to achieve the optimum balance among environmental protection, least-cost industry operations and landowner pursuit of agricultural interests; Continue to explore the scientific, engineering and statistical underpinnings of the regulatory program and make every effort to see that improvements resulting from that exploration are made at both the state and federal level; Promote public awareness of the regulatory program through increased contact with relevant organizations and potentially affected landowners; and Maintain maximum staff effectiveness by providing training and other opportunities for professional growth.

The Reclamation Division evaluates surface mining permit, permit revision and renewal applications, makes recommendations to the Commissioners regarding permit issuance, and carries out inspections of coal mines to ensure compliance with the program's requirements. The Division is staffed by eight full-time specialists in agricultural and physical sciences, and engineering.

Regulation of the coal industry in North Dakota began in 1970. Approximately 125,000 acres have been put under permit since that time and about 15,500 of those acres have been released completely from performance bond. Since 1980, North Dakota's regulatory program has been a partnership effort between the State and the US Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining. At present, 64% of program costs are borne by the Department of the Interior. The remaining 36% comes from funds appropriated by the Legislature.

North Dakota is the 10th largest coal producer in the United States, with an average production of approximately 30.5 million tons per year over the past several years. Nearly all of the coal is used within the State in mine-mouth power generating facilities and the nation's only operating coal gasification plant.

DIVISION PERSONNEL

James R. Deutsch, Director
Dean K. Moos, Assistant Director
Sheila Hibl, Administrative Assistant
Bruce Beechie
Mike Berg
Bill Gunnerson
Matt Klingenstein
Stephan A. Schroeder
Guy A. Welch
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