I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3734 
To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to 
provide support to mining schools, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 9, 2015 
Mr. HARDY (for himself and Mr. PERLMUTTER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 
of 1977 to provide support to mining schools, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mining Schools En-
hancement Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR MINING SCHOOLS. 
Section 721 of the Surface Mining Control and Rec-
lamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1309b) is amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘The Office of Surface Mining 
Reclamation and Enforcement’’ and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), the 
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) MINING PROGRAM SUPPORT.— 
‘‘(1) Of the amounts made available under this 
Act for activities authorized under this section, the 
Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclama-
tion and Enforcement shall ensure that at least 70 
percent is expended to enhance and support mining 
and mineral engineering programs in the United 
States by funding activities at mining schools. 
‘‘(2) In expending funds under this section, the 
Director shall consult with relevant stakeholders and 
ensure a significant opportunity for participation by 
undergraduate and graduate students at mining 
schools. 
‘‘(3) The Director shall ensure that the activi-
ties conducted under this section relate to conven-
tional fuel resource development and production, and 
include— 
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‘‘(A) studies of mining, mineral extraction 
efficiency, and related processing technology; 
‘‘(B) mineral economics, reclamation tech-
nology, and practices for active mining oper-
ations; 
‘‘(C) the development of remining systems 
and technologies that facilitate reclamation that 
fosters the recovery of resources at abandoned 
mine sites; 
‘‘(D) investigations of mineral resource ex-
traction methods that reduce environmental and 
human impacts; 
‘‘(E) reducing dependence on foreign en-
ergy supplies; and 
‘‘(F) enhancing the competitiveness of 
United States energy technology exports. 
‘‘(c) MINING SCHOOL DEFINED.—In this section the 
term ‘mining school’ means a mining or mineral engineer-
ing program or department accredited by the Accredita-
tion Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., that is 
located at an institution of higher education (as that term 
is defined in section 631(a) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1132(a))) in the United States.’’. 
Æ 
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