FOIA Repository – U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement FOIA Requests + Responses

Organized by date

2016-11-7: Request regarding review and approval of Spring Creek coal mining plan in Montana.

2017-1-23: Request regarding review and approval of Collom mining plan for Colowyo coal mine in Moffat County, Colorado.

2017-3-12: Request for records regarding review of mining plan modification for Foidel Creek coal mine in Routt County, Colorado.

2017-4-25: Request for records related to OSMRE reporting under Secretarial Order 3349, which orders Interior Department agencies to assess “burdens” to the oil, gas, and coal industry.

2017-5-12: Request for records related to OSMRE review of San Juan coal mine mining plan modification.

2017-6-2: Request for records related to OSMRE review of Skyline coal mine mining plan modification.

2017-6-2: Request for records related to OSMRE review of Dry Fork coal mine mining plan modification.

2017-6-19: Request for records related to Joint Resolution disapproving of Stream Protection Rule.

2017-6-23: Request for records related to OSMRE review of King II coal mining plan review.

2017-6-23: Request for records related to OSMRE review of Belle Ayr coal mining plan review.

2017-8-22: Request for records related to the implementation of Secretarial Order 3354, which directed Interior Department agencies to streamline fossil fuel leasing.

2017-9-7: Request for records related to OSMRE’s response to WildEarth Guardians’ request for review related to the GCC Energy King II coal mine in southwestern Colorado.

2017-9-7: Request for communication records for Acting OSMRE Director, Glenda Owens.

2017-9-7: Request for communication records for OSMRE Western Regional Office Branch Manager, Marcelo Calle.

2017-9-7: Request for communication records for OSMRE Western Regional Office Environmental Protection Specialist, Nicole Caveny.

2017-10-19: Request for records related to Cordero Rojo mining plan review.

2017-10-27: Request for records related to OSM’s involvement in the development and implementation of Interior Department “Energy Burdens” report.

2017-11-30: Request for records regarding OSM’s actions related to the agency’s progress in promulgating rules to limit blasting emissions from surface coal mining.

2017-11-30: Request for records regarding OSM’s actions related to the agency’s progress in promulgating rules to reform self-bonding of surface coal mining operations.

2017-12-16: Request for records related to agency’s compliance with Secretarial Order 3355.

2017-12-18: Request for records related to Jim Bridger mining plan review.

2018-1-12: Request for records related to Greens Hollow mining plan review.

2018-1-15: Request for records related to Rosebud mining plan review.

2018-2-9: Request for records related to determinations by OSMRE under 30 C.F.R. § 746.18 that mining plan modifications are not required.

2018-2-22: Request for communication records between OSMRE and Western Energy Company.

2018-3-23: Request for records related to Bull Mountains Mining Plan review in Montana.

2018-4-6: Request for communication records related to Bull Mountains Mining Plan review.

2018-4-6: Request for records related to Rosebud Mine AM-4 permit in Montana.

2018-5-11: Request for records related to Jim Bridger mining plan approval in Wyoming.

2018-5-11: Request for records related to King II mining plan approval in Colorado.

2018-6-6: Request for records related to OSM denial of citizen complaint regarding contemporaneous reclamation at coal mines in the Powder River Basin.

2018-6-6: Request for records related to OSM denial of citizen complaint regarding Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s self-bonding at coal mines in Colorado and Wyoming.

2018-9-28: Request for communication records related to approval of Bull Mountain mining plan.

Megan Sweeney

Wild Places Intern

Megan is a rising 3L at the University of Oregon School of Law. Originally from Jupiter, Florida, she grew up scuba diving, snorkeling, and hiking in a state with unique ecosystems such as everglades and coral reefs, shaping her into the environmentally conscious individual she is today. Working at a sea turtle hospital and watching toxic algae blooms negatively affect both coral reefs and endangered species inspired her to drive positive change and pursue a career in environmental law.

She attended the University of Florida and graduated in 2018 with a BS in Marine Science with minors in Mathematics and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. After graduation, she worked as an intern at JLA Geosciences, a hydrogeological contracting firm where she learned the importance of sustainable water and land management. Megan is very involved with the environmental law community through her leadership roles in the Land Air Water Environmental Law Society. Megan helped organize both the 2020 and 2021 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) through her positions as a 1L Representative and a Conference Co-Director. During her 3L year she will serve as a Land Air Water Co-Director. She has also been involved with the University Oregon’s Environmental and Natural Resources Center as a Fellow on the Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project.

Her research is focused on Biocriteria and reforming the CWA to better protect coral reefs and better address agricultural runoff. During her 2L year she also competed in the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. During the summer of 2020 she worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. In the fall of 2020, she had a judicial externship at the U.S. District Court District of Oregon working for the Honorable Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai. Megan is very excited to gain further litigation skills by working in the Wildlife Program at the Portland Office of WildEarth Guardians.

Tessa Archibald

WIldlife Program Intern

Tessa Archibald is a passionate animal lover with a desire to preserve our natural world and increase respect for all species. She obtained a BS in Biopsychology from Tufts University and is currently working towards a Masters in Animals and Public Policy at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She hopes that an understanding of complex human animal interactions and policy will promote more empathetic management of wildlife across all lands!

Joe Bushyhead

Endangered Species Policy Advocate

Joe Bushyhead joined Guardians in May 2021 as our Endangered Species Policy Advocate. Based in Denver, he works to protect imperiled Western species as well as the integrity of the Endangered Species Act itself.

Prior to Guardians, Joe spent seven years as a staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and clerked for the Honorable Tena Campbell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. He holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. Before law school, he worked for the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resource Management on, among other projects, a study of Chinook salmon in Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River watershed.

Hailey Zimber

Research Intern

My name is Hailey Zimber and I am a rising senior majoring in Politics at Whitman College. I am thrilled to be joining WildEarth Guardians as a research and community organizing intern for the Greater Gila Campaign. As a born and raised New Mexican, the Greater Gila is one of the silos of wilderness that have shaped who I know myself to be. Protecting the Gila means protecting myself, my state, and my community, and for this reason, this position is especially meaningful to me.

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner

Tricia, as a child of military parents, spent much of her childhood moving frequently in the U.S. and abroad, but calls El Paso, TX home. Growing up on the banks of the (often dry) Rio Grande and the water scarcity of the Southwest sparked a life-long interest in finding solutions for water conflicts in the arid and semi-arid American West. Tricia received a B.S. in Geography with a focus on human-environment connection from New Mexico State University. Her research while there centered on water management across borders. She spent 5 years working with the Southwest Environmental Center working to protect and restore the wildlife and wild places of the Southwest borderlands, particularly focused on the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf. In 2015, Tricia moved to Washington state to pursue a graduate degree, receiving an M.S. in Cultural and Environmental Resource Management from Central Washington University. Her thesis, which conducted an adaptive capacity assessment of the Upper Klamath Basin, utilized both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She worked for nearly four years on salmon recovery as the Lead Entity Coordinator for the Yakima Basin in central Washington, bringing together a diverse group of interests and perspectives. Tricia joined WildEarth Guardians as the Rio Grande Campaigner in 2021.

FOIA Repository – U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement FOIA Requests + Responses

Organized by date

WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.

Megan Sweeney

Wild Places Intern

Contact

Tessa Archibald

WIldlife Program Intern

Contact

Joe Bushyhead

Endangered Species Policy Advocate

Contact

Hailey Zimber

Research Intern

Dustin Martin

Member, Board of Directors

Francine D. Spang-Willis

Member, Board of Directors

Contact

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner