Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office August 22, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), announced our decision to substitute Federal enforcement for parts of the Missouri permanent regulatory program (Missouri program) on August 22, 2003 (68 FR 50944). We are announcing today that the Governor of Missouri petitioned us to consider returning to Missouri the authority to enforce those parts of the Missouri program for which we substituted Federal enforcement. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Air and Land Protection Division, Land Reclamation Program (MLRP) is the regulatory authority responsible for implementing and enforcing the Missouri program. If we approve Missouri's petition, we will terminate Federal enforcement for those parts of the Missouri program for which we substituted Federal enforcement and return full enforcement authority to the MLRP. We are providing an opportunity for interested persons to comment on the Missouri Governor's petition to reassume authority of those parts of the Missouri program currently being enforced by us (Administrative Record No. MO-664.42). This document gives the dates and times during which interested persons may submit written comments or participate in the scheduled public hearing regarding Missouri's petition. This document also includes the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing.