Indian Lands Program
Regulation of Coal Mining and Reclamation Operations on Indian Lands
OSMRE is the regulatory authority on all coal mining and reclamation operations located on Indian Lands. Indian Lands means all lands, including mineral interests, within the exterior boundaries of any Federal Indian reservation, notwithstanding the issuance of any patent, and including rights-of-way and all lands including mineral interests held in trust for or supervised by an Indian tribe.
Currently, OSMRE is the regulatory authority on coal mining and reclamation operations located on the Crow, Hopi, Navajo and Ute Mountain Ute reservations and all lands supervised by those tribes. As the regulatory authority, OSMRE is responsible for:
- The review of applications to conduct mining and reclamation operations
- Inspection of coal mining and reclamation operations to ensure public and environmental health protection
- Ensuring the full reclamation of the site before the lands are returned to the tribes
The Indian Lands Program is responsible for administering permitting activities associated with properties across the nation.
Four of these properties currently involve active mining and reclamation operations, while the remaining four no longer are being disturbed and involve only reclamation activities.
To ensure the protection of public and environmental health, OSMRE works in partnership with tribal governments, other federal agencies, such as: the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers. More information on this federal partnership with BIA and BLM can be found in Attachment G of the Onshore Energy & Mineral Lease Management Interagency Standard Operating Procedures.pdf
For more information on OSMRE's Indian Lands Program, contact Mychal Yellowman at myellowman@osmre.gov
N9 Phase I and II Release of Liability Announcement
Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC) has filed an application with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) for bond release on a portion of the lands in the N9 Coal Resource Area (CRA) within the Kayenta Mine Permit AZ-0001F. PWCC is seeking a release of Phase I & II bond liability for a portion of the N9 area currently under bond with Zurich American, Liberty Mutual, and Sirius Point America Insurance and one Letter of Credit with Goldeman Sachs Bank, USA. PWCC is seeking a reduction in bond of $18,129,230 under the Phase I application. The total combined bond for Kayenta Mine is $107,171,138.
The Phase I & II bond release application consists of information currently contained in the AZ-0001F permit application package (PAP) approved October 3, 2017. The PAP outlines PWCC’s reclamation operations on Permanent Program Lands. The total area in N9 requested for Phase I release is 328 acres and for Phase II release is 286 acres. Reclamation was completed between 2012 and 2025. Reclamation activities were completed in accordance with the approved PAP and included backfilling, grading, mitigation of unsuitable material, drainage control construction, and replacement of suitable soil or plant growth media and revegetation. The Kayenta Mine permit for the release area is under Navajo Tribal Coal Lease 14-20-0603-9910 and operates pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 30; Subchapter E, Part 750; Subchapter G, Parts 773 and 774; and Subchapter K, Parts 810 and 816. This notice is hereby given that:
1. The name and business address of the applicant is:
Peabody Western Coal Company, Kayenta Mine
P.O. Box 650
Kayenta, AZ 86033
2. The mine permit area is located approximately 18 miles south southwest of Kayenta, Arizona. The permit area for the Phase I bond release area is in USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle map “Long House Valley” within the following lands of Navajo County, Arizona that are described relative to the Gila and Salt River Base Meridian as:
A total of 614 acres of land located within the N9 CRA. The computer-generated centroid location is Latitude 36O 34’ 14.6” N and Longitude 110O 24’ 50.7” W.
3. Locations of where copies of the application and permit are available for public review and/or inspection are:
Navajo Nation Minerals Department's Office of Surface Mining
Window Rock Boulevard
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Forest Lake Chapter House
Navajo Route 41
17 Miles North of Pinon
Pinon, AZ 86510
Peabody Western Coal Company - Kayenta Mine Mesa Central Warehouse Office Complex
8 Miles from Hwy 160 and Route 41 Junction
Kayenta, Arizona 86033
4. The name and address of the OSMRE-WRO representative where written comments, objections, requests for a public hearing, or requests for an informal conference may be submitted on or before 5:00 p.m., June 7, 2025, thirty (30) days after the last publication date are:
Ms. Amy Ryser
Western Region
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement
P. O. Box 25065
One Federal Center, Building 41 Lakewood, CO 80225-0065
303-236-4690
5. Interested persons may obtain more information concerning the bond release by contacting Marie Shepherd, Senior Manager Environmental for PWCC at 928.280.7091.
6. The application has been filed with OSMRE and will be acted upon pursuant to the Permanent Regulatory Program (30 CFR Parts 750 and 774) approved by the Secretary of the Interior under Title V of the Surface mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.
N9 Phase I & II Application:
N14 and J16 Phase III Release of Liability Announcement
Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC) has filed an application with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) for bond release on a portion of the lands in the N14 and J16 Coal Resource Areas (CRAs) within the Kayenta Mine Permit AZ-0001F. PWCC is seeking a release of Phase III bond liability for portions of the N14 and J16 CRAs currently under surety bonds with Zurich American, Liberty Mutual, and SiriusPoint America Insurance and one Letter of Credit with Goldeman Sachs Bank, USA. PWCC is seeking a reduction in 2025 bond dollars of 6,458,202 under the Phase III application. The total combined bond for Kayenta Mine is $107,171,138.
The Phase III bond release application consists of information currently contained in the AZ-0001F Permit Application Package (PAP) approved October 3, 2017. The PAP outlines PWCC’s reclamation operations on Permanent Program Lands. The area in N14 and J16 requested for Phase III release is 992 acres. Reclamation was completed between 1983 and 2013. Reclamation activities and results were completed in accordance with the approved PAP. The Phase III application documents the permit, reclamation, and management history, protection of the hydrologic balance, and a postmine land use summary for the release area. The Kayenta Mine permit for the release areas is under Navajo Tribal Coal Leases 14-20-0603-9910 and 14-20-0603-8580, and Hopi Tribal Coal Lease 14-20-0450-5743 and operates pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 30; Subchapter E, Part 750; Subchapter G, Parts 773 and 774; and Subchapter K, Parts 810 and 816. This notice is hereby given that:
1. The name and business address of the applicant is: Peabody Western Coal Company
Kayenta Mine
P.O. Box 650
Kayenta, AZ 86033
2. The mine permit area is located approximately 18 miles south southwest of Kayenta, Arizona.
The permit area for the Phase III bond release area is located in USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle maps “Yucca Hill” and “Marsh Pass SE” within the following lands of Navajo County, Arizona that are described relative to the Gila and Salt River Base Meridian as:
A total of 531 acres of land within the N14 CRA. The computer-generated centroid location is Latitude 36O31’14.45” N and Longitude 110O18’35.39” W. A total of 461 acres of land within the J16 CRA. The computer-generated centroid location is Latitude 36O29’8.33” N and Longitude 110O18’7.01” W.
3. Locations of where copies of the application and permit are available for public review and/or inspection are:
Navajo Nation Minerals Department’s Office of Surface Mining
Window Rock Boulevard
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Forest Lake Chapter House
Navajo Route 41
17 Miles North of Pinon
Pinon, AZ 86510
Peabody Western Coal Company - Kayenta Mine Mesa Central Warehouse Office Complex
8 Miles from Hwy 160 and Route 41 Junction
Kayenta, Arizona 86033
4. The name and address of the OSMRE-WRO representative where written comments, objections, requests for a public hearing, or requests for an informal conference may be submitted on or before 5:00 p.m., June 7, 2025, thirty (30) days after the last publication date are:
Ms. Amy Ryser
Western Region Office
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement
P. O. Box 25065
One Federal Center, Building 41 Lakewood, CO 80225-0065
303-236-4690
5. Interested persons may obtain more information concerning the bond release by contacting Marie Shepherd, Senior Manager Environmental for PWCC at 928.280.7091.
6. The application has been filed with OSMRE and will be acted upon pursuant to the Permanent Regulatory Program (30 CFR Parts 750 and 774) approved by the Secretary of the Interior under Title V of the Surface mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.
N14 & J16 Phase III Application
Kayenta Mine Complex Story Map
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/eb1a9eaa0db1467dabfe616f02c1a53c
Reclaim Restore & More Podcast with Mychal Yellowman on the Kayenta and Black Mesa mine sites
The Black Mesa Preparation Plant is located on Hopi and Navajo land. No coal was mined within its 40 acre footprint, but it was used by the Black Mesa Mine. The Black Mesa Preparation Plant is under full reclamation.
For more information on the Black Mesa Preparation Plant, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Amy Ryser at aryser@osmre.gov
The Navajo & Pinabete Mines are located on the Navajo Nation near Fruitland, New Mexico. The Navajo & Pinabete Mines are surface mining operations and are the only active mining operations on the Navajo Nation.
For more information on the Navajo & Pinabete Mines, contact Acting OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Flynn Dickinson at fdickinson@osmre.gov
View the Navajo Mine Storymap
The McKinley North Mine is located on the Navajo Nation near Tse Bonito, New Mexico. The McKinley Mine only had reclamation activities.
For more information on the McKinley North Mine, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Alex Birchfield at abirchfield@osmre.gov
The King II Mine is an underground mine that is partially located under private land owned by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The mine is near Hesperus, Colorado.
For more information on the Kind II Mine, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Jeremy Spangler at jspangler@osmre.gov
OSMRE's Casper Field Office is the regulatory authority for the Absaloka South Mine. The Absaloka South Mine is located on Crow Tribal Surface.
For more information on the Absaloka South Mine, contact OSMRE Mine Team Leader, Frank Bartlett at fbartlett@osmre.gov
OSMRE's Tulsa Field Office is the regulatory authority for the McCurtain Mine. The McCurtain Mine is located within the external boundaries of the historic Choctaw Nation Reservation in Oklahoma.
For more information on the McCurtain Mine, contact Brian Hicks at bhicks@osmre.gov.
Farrell-Cooper Mining Company has applied to OSMRE for a permit to mine coal by underground methods. Under the federal Indian lands program, permit OK-042F-CC essentially would be a reissue of permit 4285F that had been issued by the Oklahoma Department of Mines in March 2012.
- Public Notice (Dated 09/1/2022)
Any person whose interest may be adversely affected by the reissuance of the permit may make written comments to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 501 Belle Street, Suite 216, Alton, IL 62002.
Comments, objections, or request for an informal conference must be submitted by October 1, 2022.