GAO Finds Gaps in Federal Oversight of Coal Mine Reclamation

The Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) lacks data on how long operators take to fully reclaim closed coal mines, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office released Nov. 12.

GAO said that as of spring 2025 there were more than 5,000 permitted coal operations across 25 states and four Tribes. Most permits had no associated coal production since 2000, and about 35 percent were tied to sites in the process of being reclaimed. GAO said hundreds of non-producing sites have not been reclaimed.

According to GAO, OSMRE staff fell from 408 in 2024 to 265 by May 2026, a 35 percent reduction, mainly due to deferred resignations, an executive branch hiring freeze and restructuring. GAO said Interior officials told it they did not conduct strategic workforce planning before the reductions and, as of August 2026, had not assessed OSMRE's future operational capacity.

GAO also said OSMRE has not issued a legally required annual report since 2020. OSMRE officials said they have had other priorities.

GAO made four recommendations, including workforce planning, faster reviews of proposed program amendments, new measures tracking reclamation time and resuming annual reports. GAO said Interior did not provide comments on the report.

Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/1013