About Appalachian Region

The Appalachian Regional Office (AR) is the easternmost of three regional offices within the United States Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM).  The AR office is responsible for OSM Field Offices in: 

       Charleston, West Virginia

       Lexington, Kentucky

       Big Stone Gap, Virginia; and

       Knoxville, Tennessee

The regional office is also made up of the Applicant Violator System Office (AVSO) in Lexington, Kentucky; the Federal Reclamation Program Division (FRPD); the Technology Support Division (TSD); and the Pittsburgh Field Division (PFD), with offices in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Columbus, Ohio. 

The Regional Director coordinates and administers the day‑to‑day management, policy direction, and performance of the Appalachian Region. The AR Divisions coordinate with the Field Offices in the Region to provide local delivery of technical assistance, technology transfer, abandoned mine land (AML) investigations, inspection and enforcement, oversight evaluation, and award of grants to states carrying out the Surface Mining and Control Act of 1977. The functions and responsibilities of each office in the Region are outlined elsewhere on this website (see "Quick Link", drop down menu below).