GAO says coal mine reclamation needs additional actions

The Government Accountability Office said in a report published Thursday 12 November 2026 that additional actions were needed to return coal-mined lands to beneficial uses. The report examined the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement program for overseeing surface coal mining operations.

Data available as of spring 2025 showed over 5,000 permitted coal operations across 25 states and four Tribes. The majority of permits had no associated coal production since 2000. About 35 percent of all permits were associated with sites in the process of being reclaimed. OSMRE uses four performance measures to evaluate progress under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.

From 2024 to May 2026, OSMRE staff decreased from 408 to 265, a reduction of 35 percent. The decline followed deferred resignations, a hiring freeze for the executive branch and restructuring within the Department of the Interior. Interior officials said they had not conducted strategic workforce planning before the reductions and had not assessed OSMRE’s future operational capacity as of August 2026.

GAO said OSMRE did not have measures showing the length of time it takes operators of non-producing mines to complete reclamation and return sites to beneficial post-mining uses. GAO said this information is key to determining which mines may risk financial exposure for the federal government or pose an environmental risk.

Since 2020, OSMRE had not issued a statutorily required annual report on activities conducted under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. OSMRE officials said the reports had not been issued because they had other priorities since 2020. GAO said the lack of reports deprived Congress of nationwide information on program performance and opportunities to hold the agency accountable for results.

GAO said unreclaimed mining sites can create environmental, health and safety hazards and delay returning lands to productive uses. OSMRE administers its Title V program to address the impacts of surface coal mining operations. GAO examined documents and data, surveyed and interviewed officials and stakeholders, and conducted site visits to Kentucky and Tennessee.