Unsuitable for Surface Mining Program

The Unsuitable for Surface Mining (UFM) Program operates in response to formal petitions being submitted to the Department by a person, business concern, environmental organization, local or state government agency, or any other public agency or citizen organization.

A UFM petition is a written request with supporting technical documentation which formally asks the Department to consider designating a particular area as unsuitable for surface coal mining operations, or to have a previous designation terminated (revoked).

If a petition is complete and is determined to have merit, the Department will then:

1. Conduct a technical review;
2. Provide for public participation through notifications and public hearings;
3. Make a recommendation to the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) for possible rulemaking.

Regulations related to the UFM program can be found in 25 Pa. Code Chapter 86, Subchapter D.

More Information:

• UFM Petition Application Form (DOC)
• Map of UFM Petition Areas Submitted (PDF)
• Map of UFM Designated Areas (PDF)
• Previous Areas Designated (PDF)
• UFM List of site​s (Excel)