Ohio Annual Report

Ohio Impoundment Workplan

Ohio produces approximately 30 million tons of coal per year, mostly from underground mines located in Meigs, Belmont, and Monroe counties.  Ohio ranks tenth of the 25 coal producing states in the Nation.

Primary regulation of coal mining in Ohio is performed by the Ohio Department of Mines and Reclamation (DMR).  The Columbus Office's role, as established by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), is to oversee the actions of the regulatory authority to ensure that they are carrying out their responsibilities under their approved program.

OSM is essentially divided into two main areas - the Regulatory and the Abandoned Mine Land sections

The Regulatory section deals with all coal mining operations where coal was mined after 1977.  Routine inspections are conducted on selected mining operations to check if the mining companies are conducting their operations in accordance with their approved mining permit and are being conducted in an environmentally sound manner.

The Abandoned Mine Land Section (AML) deals with the effects of pre-1977 mines. Funds collected through reclamation fees paid by coal mining companies are used to correct the dangers and damages of past coal mining activities. One aspect of the AML program is the Emergency Program that provides quick responses to sudden events related to old mining activities that pose a immediate danger to the public.