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Applicant Violator System Office (AVSO)

More About the AVS Office

What is the AVS?

AVS is an automated information system owned and operated by OSM. Information on applicants, permittees, operators, application and permit records, as well as unabated or uncorrected environmental violations of SMCRA are maintained in this nationwide database for OSM’s Federal and State programs.

The primary purpose of AVS is to assist OSM and States in making a permit eligibility determination required under section 510(c) of SMCRA for applicants of surface coal mining permits. Section 510(c) of SMCRA prohibits issuance of a new permit to any applicant who owns or controls mining operations having unabated or uncorrected violations anywhere in the United States until those violations are abated or corrected or are in the process of being abated or corrected to the satisfaction of the agency with jurisdiction over the violation. The data contained in AVS also assists OSM and States in determining the eligibility of bidders on Abandoned Mine Land program contracts under Title IV of SMCRA.

The data contained in AVS can also be used to:

• Assist coal companies in preparing applications and verifying the accuracy and completeness of their business information in AVS;
• Assist other agencies, such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management, by providing information to help them carry out their missions;
• Assist environmental groups and the citizens in obtaining business and violation information on companies involved in surface coal mine activities and enables them to monitor industry compliance with SMCRA.

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