Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement July 30, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), withdraw our decision to initiate rulemaking related to the release of emissions generated by blasting on surface coal mining operations. After granting a petition to initiate rulemaking in 2015 without stating the content of the rule we planned to propose, OSMRE has since determined that it lacks statutory authority to establish an air quality standard as urged by petitioners, and that in the rare instances where injury might occur, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), provides adequate mechanisms for enforcement.