Coal Program:

The New Workplace: Modernizing Where, How, and When Utah Works

The State of Utah has implemented a new initiative across all state agencies entitled The New Workplace: Modernizing Where, How, and When Utah Works. Due to this new initiative, many staff are not in the office five days a week. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure we provide the same level of service to our customers, while increasing our efficiencies of how/where business is done. If you have business with the Division, please call or email before coming in to make sure necessary staff is available.

The Coal Program is responsible for providing permits to coal companies, completing site inspections to confirm compliance and overseeing the reclamation and bond release process. Ensuring provisions of the coal rules are followed allows for continued extraction of coal to occur in a way that reduces and/or eliminates long term impacts to the environment.

Coal extraction is important to Utah. In 2017, five Utah coal operators produced 14.4-million short tons of coal valued at $493 million from seven underground mines and one surface mine. Communities in Carbon and Emery counties rely on the coal industry to provide jobs and stimulate their local economies.

The The Horizon coal mine, a bond forfeiture site in Carbon County, was a reclamation project managed by the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining's Coal Program staff. It took roughly three months to remove the coal mine’s five-acre footprint and re-contour the site to match the surrounding landscape. Reclamation involved demolishing and sealing the portals, re-establishing the stream channels through the facility and parking fill pads, and applying topsoil, mulch and seed to the final contoured slopes.

For more information about the Utah Coal Regulatory Program email ogmcoal@utah.gov
Please note: Our division hours are 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday.