Termination of Federal Enforcement for Parts of the Missouri Permanent Regulatory Program and Return of Full Regulatory Authority to the State of Missouri

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are announcing our decision under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act) to terminate direct Federal enforcement for those parts of the Missouri permanent regulatory program (Missouri program) for which we substituted Federal enforcement. We announced our decision to substitute Federal enforcement for parts of the Missouri program on August 22, 2003. On June 2, 2005, the Governor of Missouri petitioned us to consider returning to the Missouri Land Reclamation Commission (MLRC) the authority to enforce those parts of the Missouri program for which we substituted Federal enforcement. The Missouri Land Reclamation Program (MLRP), within the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), implements and enforces the Missouri program for the MLRC. Based on the Missouri Governor's petition for return of the Missouri program and MLRP's completion of the required remedial actions, we are terminating Federal enforcement for those parts of the Missouri program for which we substituted Federal enforcement and returning full enforcement authority to Missouri. This document also removes those sections of the Federal regulations that address: Direct Federal enforcement for parts of the Missouri program; the remedial actions required of Missouri to regain full enforcement authority; and the requirements and procedures for terminating direct Federal enforcement.