Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office March 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
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Notice of Proposed Information Collection for 1029-0089
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing that the information collection request for 30 CFR part 702, Exemption for Coal Extraction Incidental to the Extraction of Other Minerals has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB for review and approval. The information collection request describes the nature of the information collection and the expected burden and cost.
Notice of Proposed Information for 1029-0047 and 1029-0080
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing that the information collection requests for the following titles have been forward to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. These collections are for: 30 CFR parts 816 and 817 relating to the permanent program performance standards surface mining activities and underground mining activities, and 30 CFR part 850 authorizing State regulatory authorities to develop blaster certification programs. These information collection activities were previously approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and assigned clearance numbers 1029-0047 and 1029-0080, respectively.
Notice of Proposed Information Collection for 1029-0057 and 1029-0087
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing its intention to request renewed approval for the collections of information for 30 CFR Part 882, Reclamation of private lands; and 30 CFR 886.23(b) and Form OSM-76, Abandoned Mine Land Problem Area Description form. The collections described below have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The information collection request describes the nature of the information collections and the expected burdens and costs.
Placement of Coal Combustion Byproducts in Active and Abandoned Coal Mines
We are seeking comments on our intention to propose regulations pertaining to permit application requirements and performance standards related to the placement of coal combustion byproducts (CCBs) on sites with a surface coal mining operations permit under Title V of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act) or in the reclamation of abandoned mine lands (AML) as part of projects funded or approved under Title IV of the Act. We would base the proposed regulations on existing SMCRA authorities. We will consider the comments received in response to this notice in developing the scope and framework of the proposed rule.
Missouri Regulatory Program
We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are approving an amendment to the Missouri regulatory program (Missouri program) regarding bonding under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Previously, we approved an emergency rule that allowed Missouri to transition from a ``bond pool'' approach to bonding to a ``full cost bond'' approach in a timely manner. We are now approving Missouri's permanent rule concerning this same topic. Missouri proposed to revise its program to improve operational efficiency.
Maryland Regulatory Program
We are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Maryland regulatory program (the Maryland program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). The program amendment consists of changes to the Maryland Annotated Code (MAC) to increase the end of month balance cap of the Bond Supplement Reserve (Reserve) within the Bituminous Coal Open-Pit Mining Reclamation Fund. Maryland submitted these proposed amendments on its own initiative to improve the ability of the Maryland Department of the Environment to finance reclamation projects by increasing the amounts available in the Reserve.
Tennessee Federal Regulatory Program
We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are finalizing changes to the Tennessee Federal regulatory program regarding performance bonds and revegetation success standards. These revisions provide a mechanism to use our statutory authority to accept financial assurances in the form of trust funds and annuities in Tennessee to fund the treatment of long-term postmining pollutional discharges from surface coal mining operations and thus satisfy performance bond obligations for treatment of those discharges. Our previous regulations also did not facilitate the growth of forests, and we are taking a number of steps to ensure the reestablishment of high quality hardwood forests where the postmining land uses are related to forestry. To minimize competition with woody plants and support healthier tree growth, we are removing the 80% ground cover revegetation success standard for mine sites with postmining land uses of wildlife habitat, undeveloped land, recreation, or forestry; limiting the herbaceous ground cover success standards to those necessary to control erosion and support the forestry-related postmining land use; requiring seed mixes and seeding rates of herbaceous vegetation for those land uses to be specified in the permit; and removing the limitations on the amount of bare areas that can remain after reclamation of mine sites with those land uses.
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