Federal Administration of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in Oklahoma.

SMCRA, which established detailed standards for the surface mining of coal, attempted to balance the need to increase coal production with safeguarding the environment. The act was based on the principle of cooperative federalism. The states were offered both positive and negative inducements to assume important roles in the design and implementation of regulatory programs consistent with the SMCRA. Oklahoma's Department of Mines (DOM) carried out the provisions of the act so poorly that the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) was compelled to take over SMCRA inspection and enforcement. Other provisions of the act were administered by DOM, which found itself in a condition of "cohabitation" with OSM from 1984-1987. During that time, DOM became a stronger, technologically sophisticated agency; OSM gained a greater appreciation of the difficulties of implementing a state program; the mining industry became reconciled to reclamation contemporaneous with mining; and there was an increase in citizen participation. The return of primacy to Oklahoma may usher in a new federal relationship in surface mining regulation, with more power shifting to the states as budget pressures reduce funds and the number of employees in OSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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