Jeffrey D. Jarrett was confirmed by unanimous vote of the U.S. Senate and on February 12, 2002 became the 8th Director of the Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM).

Jarrett served as a Deputy Assistant Director for OSM's Regional Office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1994 and was Deputy Secretary for Mineral Resources Management of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) when nominated by President Bush to become OSM Director. Jarrett is the first State Program Director to become OSM Director under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.

As Director of the Office of Surface Mining, Jarrett has policy and executive responsibility for developing and enforcing surface coal mining regulations under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The agency operates with an annual budget of $306.5 million and a work force of 636 employees nationwide.

As Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania DEP, Jarrett was responsible for regulatory programs for surface and underground coal and industrial minerals mining, oil and gas exploration, deep mine safety, and abandoned mine lands reclamation. Previously he served as Director of the Pennsylvania DEP Bureau of District Mining Operations. In that position he was responsible for the effective implementation of various environmental laws as they relate to the surface and underground coal and non-coal mining industries in Pennsylvania and for miner health and safety regulations at all surface mining operations.

On the federal level, Jarrett brings to the job of director his extensive previous experience with OSM where he was responsible for overseeing the effective implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in the eastern states, the management of a number of field and area offices, administration of federal grants to the states for the operation of Abandoned Mine Land reclamation programs, and technical assistance to the states.

Jarrett previously served as director of planning, division manager, and reclamation director for the Cravat Coal Company and as reclamation supervisor for The Drummond Company.

A native of West Virginia, Jarrett received a B.S. degree in Human Resource Management from Geneva College in Pennsylvania and an A.A.S. degree in Land Stabilization and Reclamation from Belmont Technical College in St. Clairsville, Ohio.