North Dakota's coal reclamation and abandoned mine lands programs are again receiving high marks from the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
Those two programs are run by the North Dakota Public Service Commission.
"For quite a few years, our program has been working very well, in my opinion," said PSC Chairman Randy Christmann. "It's so nice to have my opinion reaffirmed, when OSM does its annual evaluation."
Christmann credits the staff for doing a great job, and for working well with the coal companies.
"Our people — when you talk to them, you can tell they really care about what this land is going to be generations into the future," Christmann said. "Yet, they also understand the practicalities that things need to happen. So it takes time and patience, and close monitoring."
Christmann also gives credit to the coal companies.
"They helped us to be effective, when we're not always having to spend a lot of time correcting them," Christmann said.
The Abandoned Mine Lands program started in North Dakota in 1982. It is designed to help mitigate hazards from coal mining that took place before federal law took effect in 1997. The state receives money from the federal agency to help mitigate those hazards.
"The bulk of those fees come from the active coal mines, that had nothing to do with these abandoned mines that are being fixed now," Christmann said. "The current companies are not responsible for things that happened years ago," Christmann said. "Yet, they're paying a fee on every ton of coal that they mine."
And Christmann said those companies haven't gone to Congress to ask that they not have to pay those fees.
