News Release

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement 

A Bureau of the U. S. Department of the Interior

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: February 10, 2020

Contact: Christopher Holmes

(202) 208-7941

President Proposes $116 Million FY 2021 Budget for OSMRE 

Budget Prioritizes Core Mission, Increases Efficiencies, Supports American Energy Needs 

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump today proposed a $116 million Fiscal Year (FY) 

2021 budget for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). 

“President Trump’s 2021 budget request for the Department is about investing in our people 

and public lands and waters," said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. "He is 

committed to the mission of conservation and creating more public access for Americans to 

fully enjoy our national treasures and landscapes. This budget is a critical step in the right 

direction and provides a path to restore commonsense in our budgeting process.”

"I’m incredibly proud that this budget accomplishes the goal of ensuring OSMRE delivers on 

our core mission for the American people and doing that in the most efficient way possible,”

said Lanny E. Erdos, exercising the authority of Director of OSMRE. "This proposal 

supports President Trump’s mission of providing both accountability and effectiveness for our 

citizens in 2021 and beyond."

 

The President’s FY 2021 budget request strongly supports American energy needs. Coal 

mining will continue under the appropriate regulatory structure laid out for OSMRE and the 

reclamation of abandoned mine lands will continue to achieve results on behalf of the U.S. 

citizens. 

The budget request supports improved mine plan review processes to enable OSMRE to align 

its staff and fiscal resources across activities to better streamline the NEPA process, enhance 

and accelerate the permitting process, and ensure coal mine surface activities are operated in a 

manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining, and that following mining, 

the land is restored to beneficial use. 

In 2019, OSMRE completed five mining plan decision documents recommending approval of 

the mining plan modification, including the preparation of eight environmental assessments 

analyzing the environmental effects of the mining plan modification in compliance with 

NEPA. The bureau also managed $291 million in mandatory Abandoned Mine Land 

reclamation grants provided to the 25 coal-producing States and three Tribes with an approved 

AML program. OSMRE continued to promote utilization of the Forestry Reclamation 

Approach (FRA), with 70 percent of all trees planted on FRA prepared areas. A total number 

of 4,447,721 trees were planted during FY 2019 with 3,123,940 utilizing FRA on 5,635 acres. 
The FY 2021 budget provides the resources required to build on past accomplishments, 

streamline processes, achieve management efficiencies, and provide technical assistance and 

training to OSMRE's State and Tribal partners.

 

See OSMRE’s proposed FY2021 budget summary.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) carries out the requirements of the Surface 

Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in cooperation with states and tribes. OSMRE’s objectives are to 

ensure that coal mining activities are conducted in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during 

mining, to ensure that the land is restored to beneficial use after mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining 

by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines.