Abandoned Mine Lands & Hazardous Material Management

The Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) and Hazardous Material Management (HMM) Programs work to comply with directives of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) to “manage public lands in a manner that protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and  archeological values” and “provide for compliance with the applicable pollution control laws, including State and Federal air, water, noise, or other pollution standards.” In the process, the two programs also work to return damaged lands to beneficial use.

The AML and HMM Programs investigate and remediate BLM managed lands impacted by environmental contamination from past activities on those lands. The AML Program focus is to inventory and manage the physical and environmental impacts of AMLs, which are hard rock mining areas abandoned prior to January 1,1981, the effective date of BLM’s surface management regulations. The HMM Program focus is on hazardous material releases. In addition to investigating and remediating releases, the HMM Program seeks to prevent releases, and should there be releases, to mitigate the effects of the releases.

There are numerous overlaps and shared resources within the two programs. Both programs seek to comply with, and use, the authority delegated to BLM by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to investigate and remediate BLM lands and to pursue compensation from responsible parties for the work required. Both programs work to meet the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in performing their work.