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North Dakota PSC accepts federal evaluations finding coal reclamation and abandoned‑mine programs effective
Summary
The North Dakota Public Service Commission on Jan. 20 accepted the Office of Surface Mining—s 2024 evaluation reports, which found the state's coal regulatory and abandoned mine lands programs effective and raised no corrective actions.
Bismarck, N.D. — The North Dakota Public Service Commission on Jan. 20 voted to accept the Office of Surface Mining—s 2024 evaluation reports for the state—s coal regulatory and Abandoned Mine Lands programs.
The commission—s chair, Commissioner Randy Christman, moved to accept the reports and Commissioner Sherry Haugenhofer seconded; the motion carried unanimously. Christman read excerpts from the federal evaluation, saying the Office of Surface Mining reported that "North Dakota PSC is adhering to the state's policies and procedures regarding opportunities for public participation" and that the state—s reclamation staff "carries out its duties using the appropriate technical expertise with a high level of professionalism."
The nut graf: The federal reports found no issues requiring corrective action and noted the state exceeded inspection requirements in evaluation year 2024, findings that the commissioners said recognize the work of PSC staff and the importance of the programs.
Commissioners highlighted details the reports included. According to the evaluation language read into the record, the state conducted 82 complete inspections and 343 partial inspections during the evaluation year, exceeding the number of inspections required. The reports noted that the reclamation division uses new technology to improve efficiency and public access to information and that the abandoned mine lands grant dedicated 14% of the award to administrative costs.
Commissioner Jill Pringstedt told staff present, "No. Randy summarized it very well," and thanked program workers for the result. Haugenhofer echoed those remarks, listing phrases she said stood out in the reports: "Staff is effective. Staff is knowledgeable. They're responsive to public inquiries. They're professional. They're cooperative."
The commission did not discuss additional corrective steps; the motion on the consent-calendar item was approved without recorded roll-call dissents.
The acceptance formalizes the commission—s acknowledgment of the federal evaluations and leaves program administration and any future follow-up to PSC staff and the Office of Surface Mining.
