Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement December 11, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving, with two deferrals, an amendment to the Virginia regulatory program (the Virginia program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). This amendment includes revisions to Virginia's statutes and/or coal mining regulations that: remove self-bonds from the types of performance bond instruments authorized; adjust the financing of its alternative bonding system (ABS), which is in the form of a bond pool; and revise proof of publication requirements involving permit applications and bond release applications. We are deferring our decision on the removal of a regulation requiring certain actions by self-bonded operators when a condition affects their financial status and the proposed monetary cap on Virginia's pool bond fund.