The Billings Gazette said Monday’s meeting in Billings prompted input from many opponents who felt that the combination would be a conflict of interest for the BLM, which holds federal coal blocks and leases them for development.

If the two merge, the BLM will also be overseeing the reclamation and enforcement responsibilities currently under the jurisdiction of the OSM.

Others questioned the legality of the merger under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The BLM was originally spun off the OSM to take on the regulatory role.

About 45 individuals attended the meeting, the paper said, with 14 presenting comments. Most of the presenters were from environmental groups.

Under an order from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, the proposal is being reviewed by the BLM and OSM. While he first signed a merger approval October 26, Salazar extended the information collection period.

The meeting this week in Billings is one of 10 planned across the country seeking public comment.

According to BLM deputy director Mike Pool, the agency manages more than 245 million acres, mostly in the western US, and administers 700 million acres of subsurface minerals in addition to its other programs.

He told the paper the agencies were looking at merging in four areas to be more time and cost efficient.

These are are administrative support; environmental restoration of abandoned mine lands; fee collections and regulation; and inspection and enforcement and state program oversight.

Pool said the OSM would continue to be independent under the regulation of the SMCRA.