Interior Region 1 - North Atlantic-Appalachian

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Thomas D. Shope is the Field Special Assistant for the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region. He is responsible for regional coordination among Interior agencies from Maine to Kentucky. 

Shope brings 30 years of federal service and expertise in effective collaboration to the position.  He concurrently serves as a regional director for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) located in Pittsburgh.  In that role, he provides federal oversight of active coal mining operations in the Appalachian states and the reclamation of Abandoned Mine Lands and administering nearly $300 million in grants annually. 

Shope serves as the OSMRE’s Aviation Executive overseeing its aviation and unmanned aircraft system programs in addition to overseeing various national programs including the Applicant/Violator System and the National Mine Map Repository. Shope is a technology champion leading innovations in the field such as mine drainage treatment calculation software, electronic permitting and the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative.

Shope previously served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy, where he oversaw the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves, the National Energy Technology Laboratory and various carbon sequestration efforts. He has served as the Chief of Staff for the OSMRE and as an Attorney Advisor for the Department of the Interior.   

Shope holds a B.S. degree in Economics from West Virginia University and a J.D. degree from Duquesne University School of Law.

Contact Tom Shope