U.S. Senate Confirms Lanny Erdos as Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to confirm Lanny Erdos as Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). Mr. Erdos has served as the Principal Deputy Director exercising the delegated authority of the Director of the OSMRE since 2019.

“Lanny Erdos has done an incredible job since joining the Trump Administration in 2019. He has waited a year, and this is well deserved," said U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt. 

Mr. Erdos previously worked at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Mineral Resources Management (ODNR) for 31 years. He was most recently the Chief at the ODNR and had a broad range of responsibilities, including the management and regulation of Ohio’s coal and aggregate resources, as well as overseeing the Division’s Abandoned Mine Land (AML) and Mine Safety programs.

“I am humbled by the confidence placed in me by President Trump, Secretary Bernhardt, and the U.S. Senate to serve the American people in this capacity, I have spent my whole life in the coalfields of America, and it's my highest honor to serve my neighbors,” said Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Director Lanny Erdos.

Prior to filling the role of Chief at the ODNR, Mr. Erdos held the positions of Deputy Chief, Permitting Manager, AML Design Specialist, and Reclamation Inspector for Coal and Industrial Minerals.

During his 31-years of state service, Mr. Erdos has worked with the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the OSMRE and numerous other external stakeholder groups and associations.