⚙️Proposed Changes to Electrical Safety Regulations in Coal Mining
MSHA proposes to revise title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (30 CFR) part 75 by removing requirements for the use of permissible electric face equipment in coal seams above the water table. Removing these provisions would not reduce protections afforded to miners.
Learn More⛏️Pennsylvania Surface Mining Regulatory Amendments and Implications
We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving an amendment to the Pennsylvania regulatory program under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). The amendment proposes to revise the Pennsylvania program to comply with four required amendments and to correct a provision we previously disapproved. The proposed amendment also includes revisions to Pennsylvania's program, including effluent limitations for bituminous underground coal mines, temporary cessation, the definition of Surface Mining Activities, civil penalties, and administrative requirements, as well as other administrative updates and non-substantive corrections.
Learn More⚖️Proposed Rescission of “Ten-Day Notices” in Surface Mining Regulations
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is proposing to rescind the "Ten-Day Notices and Corrective Action for State Regulatory Program Issues" Rule adopted on April 9, 2024. We are undertaking this change to align the regulations with the single, best meaning of the statutory language in the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). This proposed rule would streamline the process for OSMRE's coordination with State regulatory authorities to minimize duplication of efforts in the administration of SMCRA and appropriately recognize that State regulatory authorities are the primary regulatory authorities of non-Federal, non-Indian lands within their borders. We solicit comment on all aspects of this proposed rule.
Learn More⚖️New Civil Penalty Inflation Adjustments for Surface Mining Operations
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) adjusts for inflation its civil monetary penalties assessed under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) and its implementing regulations. OSMRE takes this regulatory action pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (2015 Act), which further amended the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (1990 Act), and Office of Management and Budget guidance.
Learn More⛏️Petition for Modification of Mine Safety Standards by MSHA
This notice is a summary of a petition for modification submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by ICG Beckley, LLC.
Learn More⚖️Corrections to West Virginia Surface Mining Regulatory Amendments
We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), published a document in the Federal Register on March 18, 2024, approving in part, and not approving in part, amendments to the West Virginia regulatory program (the West Virginia program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). We made an error in the document by overwriting a provision that should not have been removed; instead, we should have added a new paragraph under the not approved section. Additionally, we did not include a provision in the table where our approvals were listed. We published a correction to the March 18, 2024, Federal Register document on August 28, 2024, but because the March 18 revisions had already become effective, the amendatory instructions became erroneous and the August 28, 2024, corrections could not be incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations. This document corrects the final regulations.
Learn More♻️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 on Information Collection for Mining Permit Applications
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are proposing to renew an information collection.
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