SMARA Compliance

VESTRA offers full-service environmental, engineering, and GIS support related to mining projects. Our Regulatory Compliance staff have more than 27 years of experience in the custom and practice of mine regulations, from initial engineering, permitting, and annual inspections to the remediation of abandoned mine sites. We understand the environmental issues and complexities relevant to mine compliance, operations, reclamation planning, and mitigation under CEQA. We specialize in developing practical and technically sound solutions for operating, idle, and abandoned mines and offer cost-effective, innovative, and technically superior project solutions.

Our team of compliance professionals have assisted a variety of clients with various regulatory issues, from small, private mine operators seeking AB 3098 compliance to permitting large new mines. We have assisted rural counties with SMARA inspections and compliance issues. VESTRA has experience with large, complex permit packages and reclamation plan addendums. We also prepare and review routine SMARA documents including Financial Assurance Cost Estimates, Annual Reports, and Inspection Reports. We have completed inspections for municipalities for mines located within city limits, as well as driven thousands of miles inspecting rural mines for private operators and counties.

Our staff appreciate the difficulties facing mine operations, especially in rural counties, and have worked with local mine owners to obtain compliance with ever-increasing regulations. VESTRA is recognized for designing and negotiating fair compromises based on good science in each of the industries we serve. We have represented numerous government entities and private mine clients in Northern California. We are known for tackling seemingly “impossible projects.” No matter what a project entails, we “get the job done right” on time and within budget. VESTRA is our clients’ best advocate when it comes to regulatory compliance.

Specialized SMARA Experience:

  • Reclamation Plans
  • Annual Site Inspections
  • Financial Assurance Cost Estimates (FACEs)
  • Financial Assurance Mechanisms
  • Revegetation Monitoring
  • Annual Report Preparation and Submittal
  • Program Administration
  • Technical Review
  • Interim Management Plans and Activities
  • Operator Communications/Outreach
  • State Mining and Geology Board Appeals
  • CEQA Compliance