Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement August 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing its intention to request approval to continue the collection of information for our petition process for designation of Federal lands as unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining operations and for termination of previous designations. This information collection activity was previously approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and assigned clearance number 1029-0098.

We are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Ohio regulatory program under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Ohio's proposed amendment updates the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) to address issues raised by OSM regarding consistency of Ohio's surface mining program with the final Federal rule relative to Ownership and Control, Permit and Application Information and Transfer, and Assignment or Sale of Permit Rights, which became effective December 3, 2007. The proposed amendment specifically alters the following regulations within the OAC: Definitions; Incorporation by reference; Permit applications, requirements for legal, financial, compliance, and related information; Permit applications, revisions, and renewals, and transfers, assignments, and sales of permit rights; Improvidently issued permits; and Enforcement and Individual civil penalties. By submittal of this proposed amendment, Ohio intends to revise its approved program pursuant to the additional flexibility afforded by the revised Federal regulations and SMCRA, as amended, to ensure Ohio's proposed regulatory provisions are no less effective than the corresponding regulations. This document provides the times and locations that the Ohio program and proposed amendment are available for public inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on this amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.