1992-07-21_REVISION - M1988112

• Permit No: M1988112
• IBM Index Class Name: Revision
• Doc Date: 7/21/1992
• Doc Name: MINUTES MLRB
• Type & Sequence: AM1
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Minutes, July 2Z-24, 19~
DAFT
Subject To Board Approval31
The Board said the Division should at least require a Phase I
environmental assessment prior to accepting real-estate as collateral
for a bond. They urged the Division to decline acceptance of bc~d
forms with which they are not completely satisfied. M;. Stewart
suggested that the operator could reaffirm the credibility cf the bond
as part of the annual report.
Mr. Long briefly discussed a recent influx of problems with Letters of
Credit, especially with out-of-state banks.
Mr. Renner said that he and Frank Johnson, Assistant AttornE•y General,
would be discussing this issue during the August 1992 Board Meeting.
6. Blueprint for Change
- Field Offices
- Program Consolidation
Mr. Long said the internal reviews and reports regarding these issues
have been completed and circulated to the Staff, as well as the Board,
for comments. He said comments were received from Staff t,nd a Board
Member. Mr. Long said the documents will be forwarded for general
comments from the mining industry, other state and local governmental
agencies, the public and other constituency groups.
Mr. Long said the Division conducted an indepth and thorough study into
the field office issue. However, he said no firm recommendations or
conclusions were provided in the documents regardirg program
consolidation.
The issue of program consolidation was discussed during a recent
Supervisors Meeting. Mr. Long said the Supervisors' commen~:s, as well
as the majority of those provided by the Staff, were in faior of some
type of program consolidation. Specifically, they favoreci combining
the Minerals and Coal Programs and forming one regulatory program. He
said one benefit of program consolidation would be the pro~~ision of a
larger resource, at the Division-level, for dealing with cases where
major issues are involved, such as Battle Mountain and Summitville.
However, Mr. Long said that if this type of program change occurs, each
of the Programs' budget will remain separate.
Ron Cattany discussed concerns that the CMA has stated, in regard to
program consolidation. He suggested that extensive explanations would
need to be provided prior to making changes in the Pro~lrams. Mr.
Cattany said operators in the hardrock industry have stated concerns
that regulatory standards for coal mining would be applied to their
operations, if program consolidation occurs.
Mr. Long said the Division's Staff, specifically the Supervisors, would
ensure that the program-specific standards would not be inappropriately
combined and applied in the field. Other states that have :onsolidated
coal and non-coal programs were discussed. It was suggested that the
Division contact these states for information, regarding thi; issue.