Department of Mines seeks hydrologist, abandoned‑mine database; says permitting time halved

Director Rodessini, head of the Oklahoma Department of Mines, told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services that the agency has cut permit turnaround roughly in half and is seeking specific resources to address water‑related questions and historic mine records.

Rodessini said the department has reduced “the amount of time that we've been able to get our permits issued has been cut down by 50%,” and highlighted investments in online forms, scanned permit files and the Oklahoma Miner Training Institute as recent accomplishments. He told members the agency has moved field inspections and public services toward digital tools and is about 50% through scanning its permit files.

The department asked the panel for two main items in its budget request. First, Rodessini said the agency needs a hydrologist to help evaluate water issues that arise in mining projects and in exchanges with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the Water Resources Board. He estimated the total cost to the agency — salary, computers and software — at about $150,000 per year. Second, the department requested funds to create a searchable, public database of abandoned or previously reclaimed mine sites so citizens and local officials can determine whether a mine once existed at a location.

Rodessini explained the hydrology gap traces to the loss of the coal program following federal action after the McGirt decision. He said the department formerly employed a hydrologist and a geologist that were tied to the coal permitting program and that a third of staff were lost when oversight of coal permits on tribal lands shifted to the Office of Surface Mining (a federal agency). He said industry representatives had urged the state agency to hire a hydrologist because other state agencies “don’t have the level of expertise or know anything about mining.”

On coal oversight specifically, Rodessini briefed members that when federal authorities resumed oversight of coal mining on Indian lands in early 2022 the Office of Surface Mining took custody of the historical records for those operations. He said the state has worked with the federal office to obtain joint ownership of reclamation bonds in some cases and that the department remitted about $725,000 in cash bonds to the Office of Surface Mining so reclamation could proceed.

Rodessini described additional agency priorities and efficiencies: reclaiming forfeited or abandoned sites with a new reclamation project manager, using drones for inspections, improving permit access in the field, and working with the state treasurer and OMES on electronic remittance and forms. He said inspectors and permitting staff have focused on quicker communications with operators and on public access to accident reports, open‑records forms and citizen complaints through the department website.

Senator Yek asked about litigation and the federal action that affected coal oversight; Rodessini said a lawsuit filed by the attorney general’s office was dismissed in May 2023 and reiterated that the federal Office of Surface Mining now conducts inspections and holds many of the historical records for coal mines on tribal lands. Rodessini said the department still interacts with operators and federal staff but lacks the same staffing depth it had when the coal program was state‑managed.

The department did not present a motion or formal vote during the hearing. Rodessini said the agency would follow up with committee staff on any requested documentation and on clarifications about the hydrologist position and the proposed abandoned‑mine database.

Ending: The subcommittee heard the department’s requests and follow‑up items; Rodessini and staff will provide additional information to members on the hydrologist request, the abandoned‑mine database proposal and the status of reclamation bonds held jointly with federal authorities.