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Show Office of Surface Mining reorganization hits opposition By Helene C. Monberg Special to the Vernal Express Washineton-Rep. John F. Seiberl-ing, Seiberl-ing, D-Ohio, who co-chaired the hearing of the House Interior Committee on the controversial reorganization of the Office Of-fice of Surface Mining (OSM) on July 16, charged at the close "Interior Secretary James Watt is trying to do an end run around Congress." The Interior Department 1982 funding bill before the House this week bars the Department from using any 1982 money to reorganize the OSM within the Department. But Watt testified on July 16 he plans to have the reorganization completed by Sept. 1. The 1982 fiscal year does not get underway until Oct. 1 The reorganization was announced on May 21 by the Interior Department. The main point of the reorganization is that two technical centers will be established establish-ed under it at Casper, Wyo., and at Pittsburgh Pitt-sburgh to serve Eastern and Western coal mines, states and Indian tribes. This means the Western center is being moved from Denver to Casper, a move which Rep. Patricia Schroeder, D-Colo., called "ridiculous" because it will cost more money to make the move than it will save, she testified on July 16. But Watt stoutly defended the reorganization as one which would save "5.7 million a year-every year." He insisted in-sisted that the OSM reorganization should not be looked at in isolation, but in relation to other actions which the department is taking to give the states a larger share of the action not only in surface mine reclamation but in other programs as well. Both Chairman Morris K. Udall, D-Ariz., of the House Interior Committee Commit-tee and Seilberling said during and at the hearing they planned to have oversight over-sight hearings on Interior's regulatory reorganizations the first week in August. Witnesses were not neutral about the reorganization. Rep. Schroeder, Hugh Baker of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota and Ernest Stevens speaking for the Navajo Tribe, denounced the reorganization. But Mrs. Nancy Freudenthal, who testified for Gov. Ed Herschler, D-Wyo., and Philip Rivers, representing represen-ting the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, stoutly defended the reorganization. Seiberling, who said he did not think the reorganization was as chaotic as he had been led to believe before the hearing, was particularly angered by testimony presented by Stevens indicating in-dicating the "state of New Mexico is claiming jurisdiction over coal mining operations on Navajo lands. The Office of Surface Mining is indirectly assisting New Mexico's claim by its approval of grants and cooperative agreements with the state without considering tribal purposes," Stevens charged. Seiberling was visibly upset over this testimony, which Stevens presented as a stand in for Peter McDonald, chairman chair-man of the Navajo Tribal Council. "It stinks to high heaven," Seiberling told the press as the day long hearing ended. He pointed to section of the 1977 Surface Mining Law to show that Congress Con-gress made no decision on how to handle han-dle reclamation of Indian lands which have been stripped mined pending completion com-pletion of an Interior Department study. Steve Griles, deputy OSM director, direc-tor, said the study was not completed. "It's another sorry evidence of the Department's letting down the Indian tribes," Seiberling stated. Members of Congress were all over the lot about the reorganization I'dall declared the proposed relocation of the Western Office to Casper from Denver "just won't wash'' because Denver is so much more centrally located than Casper. Mrs. Schroeder charged it would "actually cost more money than it saves and will create inefficiency, not reduce it." Rep. Dan Marriott. R-Utah. claimed "Congresswoman Schroeder is talking hot air. She represents vested interests." in-terests." in apparent reference to the large number of federal employes who refuse to move from Denver to Casper. One federal employe involved in the reorganization said there were 6i at the Denver office now, of whom 18 had announced an-nounced they would quit and 1!) threatened to quit. She is one who will quit, she said. Rep. Hank Brown, R-Colo., defended the reorganization as "an effort to economize in government even if it costs jobs in Members of Congress' districts. If we don't have that much courage here in Congress, we'll destroy this country by selfish greed. I think we ought to give the reorganization a chance," Brown told the press after the hearing Rep. Ray Kogovsek, D Colo., said he favored a reorganization "because there has been ovcrregulation by OSM. I have continually received complaints about OSM from the mining people in Southern Colorado. But I am concerned that this reorganization will cost more than Watt projected. Of particular concern con-cern to Mrs. Schroeder, who held a hearing herself on the OSM reorganization reorganiza-tion in Denver, is the loss of technical experts. |