Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement March 27, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are announcing receipt of Montana's response to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement's (OSM) November 22, 2011, letter pertaining to a previously proposed amendment to the Montana regulatory program (hereinafter, the ``Montana program'') under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Montana proposes changes to the Montana Strip and Underground Mine Reclamation Act (MSUMRA) that pertain to coal prospecting. Montana intends to revise its program to comply with changes made in the 2011 Montana Legislature as a result of the passage of Senate Bill 286. This document gives the times and locations that the Montana program and proposed amendment to that program are 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.