Don’t undermine coal mine reclamation

A plan by Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar would undermine coal mine reclamation by moving the Office of Surface Mining into the much larger Bureau of Land Management. The proposal would combine two distinctly separate programs -- creating a big conflict of interest.

Secretary Salazar should keep the agency charged with leasing coal separate - the Bureau of Land Management - from the agency charged with regulating coal mining and reclamation - the Office of Surface Mining.

People living near coal mines oppose this plan, and one Montana state agency said there was no indication that a merger was necessary.

The Bureau of Land Management sells coal leases for development. The Office of Surface Mining is responsible to make sure coal mining is done right. Let's keep it that way. In this time of tight budgets and federal debt, the Department of Interior should focus more on getting a fair return to the taxpayer for the sale of publicly-owned coal rather than confusing the role of these two agencies. .

Let Secretary Salazar know you oppose this merger and that he should withhdraw it from consideration. Even if you don’t live near a coal mine, it’s important for Secretary Salazar to hear from you.

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