♻️Wyoming Approves Wind Turbine Blade Disposal in Coal Mining
We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving an amendment to the Wyoming regulatory program (hereinafter, the Wyoming Program or Program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). On its own initiative, the Wyoming Land Quality Division (LQD), in response to State legislative changes enacted in 2020, proposed rules to its Program that facilitate the disposal of inert decommissioned wind turbine blades and towers as backfill in end walls or the final pit voids in surface coal mining operations. In addition, Wyoming has updated Chapter 2 of its Coal Rules, titled "Permit Application Requirements for Surface Coal Mining Operations," to provide consistency with the Wyoming Secretary of State's Rules on Rules, as well as correct grammatical errors.
Learn More⚖️Notice of Withdrawal Extension Application for Mining in Arizona
On behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Forest Service (USFS) has filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requesting that the Secretary of the Interior extend the withdrawal created by Public Land Order (PLO) No. 7664, for an additional 20-year term. PLO No. 7664, which will currently expire on Jun 11, 2026, withdrew 990 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands located within the Tonto National Forest from location and entry under the U.S. mining laws, subject to valid existing rights, to protect the Diamond Rim Quartz Crystal Interpretative Area, located in Gila County, Arizona, from potential adverse impacts from mining. This notice provides for the public to comment and request a public meeting for the 20-year withdrawal extension application.
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