Department of the Interior March 26, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are reopening the public comment period on the proposed amendment to the Kentucky regulatory program (the Kentucky program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act) that was originally published on February 20, 2013. The public comment period and opportunity for public hearing is being reopened to incorporate subsequent information (emergency regulations, permanent regulations, legislation, and revised statutes) that we received from Kentucky to address a deficiency in the Kentucky program regarding reclamation bonds and to revise its program to be administered in a manner consistent with SMCRA and the Federal regulations. This document gives the times and locations that this proposed amendment to the Kentucky program is available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Twin Falls District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), BSEE is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns a renewal to the paperwork requirements in the regulations under Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur.

On May 11, 2012, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published in the Federal Register a proposed rule titled Oil and Gas; Well Stimulation, Including Hydraulic Fracturing, on Federal and Indian Lands. Because of significant public interest in hydraulic fracturing and this rulemaking, on May 24, 2013, the BLM published in the Federal Register a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment titled Oil and Gas Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal and Indian Lands. The BLM has used the comments on the supplemental proposed rule and the earlier proposed rule in drafting this final rule. Key changes to the final rule include the allowable use of an expanded set of cement evaluation tools to help ensure that usable water zones have been isolated and protected from contamination, replacement of the ``type well'' concept to demonstrate well integrity with a requirement to demonstrate well integrity for all wells, more stringent requirements related to claims of trade secrets exempt from disclosure, more protective requirements to ensure that fluids recovered during hydraulic fracturing operations are contained, additional disclosure and public availability of information about each hydraulic fracturing operation, and revised records retention requirements to ensure that records of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations are retained for the life of the well. The final rule also provides opportunities for the BLM to coordinate standards and processes with individual states and tribes to reduce administrative costs and to improve efficiency.