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Smart Sectors

Mining Sector Information

Several agencies are involved in regulating the mining industry. The U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration regulates worker safety and health. The Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and delegated states regulate coal mining activities. The U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service regulate mining activities on federal land managed by these agencies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and state agencies also have roles in regulating the mining industry.  The following links are intended to help Smart Sectors partners and the public learn more about how EPA works with the mining sector.

EPA basic regulatory information

EPA resources

  • Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP) — EPA's CMOP works cooperatively with the coal mining industry in the U.S. and other major coal-producing countries to reduce CMM emissions.
  • SmartWay Transport — EPA's SmartWay Transport program helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency. Any company or organization that ships, manages, or hauls freight in its operations can become an EPA SmartWay Partner.

  • Sustainable Materials Management Prioritization Tools — Free, life cycle-based tools that offer a starting place to establish priorities for environmental improvement, focus limited financial and human resources where action could offer greater holistic benefit, and consider key industries for collaboration.

  • EPA and Hardrock Mining Sourcebook — This document provides guidance on the Clean Water Act permitting processes and associated National Environmental Policy Act environmental review requirements for new metal mining operations in the Northwest and Alaska.