Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., is prepared to offer further clarifying legislation on the Senate floor if officials from the Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) do not honor the intent of legislation Enzi helped author last year which would release more than $550 million to the state of Wyoming.
Enzi said Wyoming’s Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Funds were intended to be released and sent directly to the states, not kept in federal vaults to collect interest Wyoming would never see. "I wrote the legislative language to release Wyoming’s back AML payments and the Office of Surface Mining should have no question about the congressional intent of the law. The intent was not to give Wyoming grants. The intent was not to let the federal government profit on the interest of Wyoming’s money. The intent was to release the money to the states in direct payments," said Enzi. "If the proposed rules do not fit with the intention of Congress I will go to the floor with amendments if necessary to require OSM to follow through with direct payments of Wyoming’s money." Enzi signed a Sept. 17 letter along with Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Representative Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., to President Bush explaining the congressional intent for AML payments. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, President of the Wyoming Senate John Schiffer and Speaker of the Wyoming House Roy Cohee also signed the letter. The interim final rule which will set AML payment schedules for fiscal year 2008 and the draft proposed rules which will govern the implementation of the act for the remaining 14 years are expected to be released by OSM at the end of this month.
