From: Robert Dorman <redorman@theofficenet.com>

Note that toward the end,
"OSM is inviting comments on the initiatives from other federal,
state, and local agencies, the coal industry, and coalfield citizens."

--Bob Dorman
>From: webmaster@osmre.gov
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 10:16:13 -0500 (EST)
>To: redorman@theofficenet.com
>Reply-to: webmaster@osmre.gov
>X-Mailer: Perl Powered Socket Mailer
>Subject: Office of Surface Mining News Release
>
>OSM NEWS
>U. S. Department of the Interior
>Office of Surface Mining
>For Release: December 28, 1999 Jerry Childress (202) 208-2719
> jchildre@osmre.gov
>
>
> OSM ISSUES NATIONAL HYDROLOGY/AMD INITIATIVES REPORT
>
> Kathy Karpan, Director of the Interior Department's Office of Surface
Mining
>(OSM) today released a National Hydrology/Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)
Initiatives
>Report which outlines OSM initiatives and actions for both ongoing and
planned actions
>to strengthen overall efforts to prevent and control AMD and to address
water related
>issues in the regulatory and abandoned mine land programs.
>
> Karpan noted that acid drainage from active and abandoned coal mines has
>already destroyed thousands of miles of streams nationwide. "While States
and the
>mining industry have made progress in preventing acid mine drainage from
active
>operations, we have more work ahead to prevent AMD from future mining and to
>remediate past damage," Karpan said. "Thus, the prevention of acid and toxic
>discharges from coal mining operations into surface and ground waters, and
the
>remediation of mining-related pollutant discharges, are among the Office
of Surface
>Mining's highest priorities."
>
> To advance these priorities, OSM established the Appalachian Clean
Streams
>Initiative, with a primary focus on AMD from abandoned mines, and the Acid
Drainage
>Technology Initiative, which concerns both the mediation and prevention of
AMD from
>future mining. To complement these efforts, OSM developed policy goals,
objectives,
>and strategies to protect the hydrologic balance in coal mining areas from
the effects of
>AMD.
>
> According to Karpan, OSM developed the outline to provide a framework
for the
>above initiatives and other OSM actions. "This initiative details the
policy, oversight,
>training, and cooperative efforts with State and Federal agencies and
other groups for
>AMD problem prevention and clean up," she added. "This is a work in
progress and will
>be updated as needed."
>
> Karpan said that OSM is inviting comments on the initiatives from
other federal,
>state, and local agencies, the coal industry, and coalfield citizens.
(Copies of the report
>can be downloaded from OSM's web site at:
www.osmre.gov/reg/1228hydrology.htm, or
>obtained from Richard Bryson at OSM headquarters in Washington, D.C., on
>(202) 208 -2776.) "OSM appreciates your valuable input to this important
effort," Karpan
>said. "We hopeeveryone with an interest in these issues will review the
outline and
>provide us with comments."
>
> -OSM-