Montana Regulatory Program and Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Plan
mining · Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement · MT · Published 1999-01-22 · Effective 1999-01-22 · 64 FR 3604
Document
Document number
99-1445
Federal Register citation
64 FR 3604
CFR reference
30 CFR 926
Type
Rule
Action
Final rule; approval of amendment.
Category
mining
Sub-agency
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
State
MT
Publication date
1999-01-22
Effective date
1999-01-22
Interior docket
SPATS No. MT-017-FOR
Abstract
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is approving, with certain exceptions and additional requirements, a proposed amendment to the Montana regulatory program (hereinafter, the ``Montana program'') and abandoned mine land reclamation plan (hereinafter, the ``Montana plan'') under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). Montana proposed statutory revisions pertaining to the designation of the Montana State Regulatory Authority and the reclamation agency SMCRA, statutory definitions of ``Prospecting'' and ``Prime farmland,'' revegetation success criteria for bond release, prospecting under notices of intent, and permit renewal. The amendment was intended to revise the Montana program to be consistent with the corresponding Federal regulations and SMCRA, as amended by the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101- 508), to provide additional flexibility afforded by the revised Federal regulations, to provide additional safeguards, to clarify ambiguities, and to improve operational efficiency.