[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 177 (Tuesday, September 12, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54982-54984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-23378]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
30 CFR Part 943
[SPATS No. TX-047-FOR]
Texas Regulatory Program
AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; public comment period and opportunity for public
hearing.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM)
is announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Texas regulatory
program (Texas program) under the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). Texas proposes revisions to and
additions of regulations concerning remining, coal processing plants,
and procedures for processing petitions to designate lands as
unsuitable for mining. Texas intends to revise its program to be
consistent with the corresponding Federal regulations.
This document gives the times and locations that the Texas program
and the proposed amendment to that program are available for your
inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written
comments on the amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for
the public hearing, if one is requested.
DATES: We will accept written comments until 4 p.m., c.d.t., October
12, 2000. If requested, we will hold a public hearing on the amendment
on October 10, 2000. We will accept requests to speak at the hearing
until 4 p.m., c.d.t. on September 27, 2000.
ADDRESSES: You should mail or hand deliver written comments and
requests to speak at the hearing to Michael C. Wolfrom, Director, Tulsa
Field Office, at the address listed below.
You may review copies of the Texas program, the amendment, a
listing of any scheduled public hearings, and all written comments
received in response to this document at the addresses listed below
during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, excluding
holidays. You may receive one free copy of the amendment by contacting
OSM's Tulsa Field Office.
Michael C. Wolfrom, Director, Tulsa Field Office, Office of Surface
Mining, 5100 East Skelly Drive, Suite 470, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135-6547,
Telephone: (918) 581-6430.
Surface Mining and Reclamation Division, Railroad Commission of
Texas, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Capitol Station, P. O. Box 12967,
Austin, Texas 78711-2967, Telephone: (512) 46-6900.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael C. Wolfrom, Director, Tulsa
Field Office. Telephone: (918) 581-6430. Internet:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background on the Texas Program
On February 16, 1980, the Secretary of the Interior conditionally
approved the Texas program. You can find background information on the
Texas program, including the Secretary's findings, the disposition of
comments, and the conditions of approval in the February 27, 1980,
Federal Register (45 FR 12998). You can find later actions concerning
the Texas program at 30 CFR 943.10, 943.15, and 943.16.
II. Description of the Proposed Amendment
By letter dated August 24, 2000 (Administrative Record No. TX-
650.01), Texas sent us an amendment to its program under SMCRA and the
Federal regulations at 30 CFR 732.17(b). Texas sent the amendment in
response to our letter dated November 22, 1999 (Administrative Record
No. TX-650), that we sent to Texas under 30 CFR 732.17(c). The
amendment also includes changes made at Texas' own initiative. Texas
proposes to amend the Texas Coal Mining Regulations. Below is a summary
of the changes proposed by Texas. The full text of the program
amendment is available for your inspection at the locations listed
above under ADDRESSES.
[[Page 54983]]
1. Backfilling and Grading: General Grading Requirements [Sec. 12.385
(surface) and Sec. 12.552 (underground)]
Texas proposes to add new sections that describe the backfilling
and grading performance standards for previously mined areas.
2. Coal Processing Plants: Performance Standards [Sec. 12.651]
Texas proposes to add new language to include cross references to
topsoil requirements for coal processing plant reclamation.
3. Procedures: Initial Processing, Record Keeping and Notification
Requirements [Sec. 12.80]
a. At Sec. 12.80(a)(1), Texas proposes to change the timeframe for
determining whether an unsuitability petition is complete from 60 days
to 30 days.
b. Texas proposes to remove Sec. 12.80(a)(3) and to redesignate
Sec. 12.80(a)(4) through (a)(7) as Sec. 12.80(a)(3) through (a)(6).
Texas also proposes to add new language to redesignated
Sec. 12.80(a)(3) to expand the definition of ``frivolous petition.''
c. Texas proposes to remove Sec. 12.80(b)(2) that deals with
discretionary hearings on petition completeness and to redesignate
Sec. 12.80(b)(3) as Sec. 12.80(b)(2).
III. Public Comment Procedures
Under the provisions of 30 CFR 732.17(h), we are seeking comments
on whether the proposed amendment satisfies the applicable program
approval criteria of 30 CFR 732.15. If we approve the amendment, it
will become part of the Texas program.
Written Comments: If you submit written or electronic comments on
the proposed rule during the 30-day comment period, they should be
specific, should be confined to issues pertinent to the notice, and
should explain the reason for your recommendation(s). We may not be
able to consider or include in the Administrative Record comments
delivered to an address other than the one listed above (see
ADDRESSES).
Electronic Comments: Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII,
WordPerfect, or Word file avoiding the use of special characters and
any form of encryption. Please also include ``Attn: SPATS NO. TX-047-
FOR'' and your name and return address in your Internet message. If you
do not receive a confirmation that we have received your Internet
message, contact the Tulsa Field Office at (918) 581-6430.
Availability of Comments: Our practice is to make comments,
including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public
review during regular business hours at OSM's Tulsa Field Office (see
ADDRESSES). Individual respondents may request that we withhold their
home address from the administrative record, which we will honor to the
extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we
would withhold from the administrative record a respondent's identity,
as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or
address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your
comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make
all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
Public Hearing: If you wish to speak at the public hearing, contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by 4 p.m.,
c.d.t. on September 27, 2000. We will arrange the location and time of
the hearing with those persons requesting the hearing. If no one
requests an opportunity to speak at the public hearing, the hearing
will not be held.
To assist the transcriber and ensure an accurate record, we
request, if possible, that each person who speaks at a public hearing
provide us with a written copy of his or her testimony. The public
hearing will continue on the specified date until all persons scheduled
to speak have been heard. If you are in the audience and have not been
scheduled to speak and wish to do so, you will be allowed to speak
after those who have been scheduled. We will end the hearing after all
persons scheduled to speak and persons present in the audience who wish
to speak have been heard.
If you are disabled and need a special accommodation to attend a
public hearing, contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Public Meeting: If only one person requests an opportunity to speak
at a hearing, a public meeting, rather than a public hearing, may be
held. If you wish to meet with us to discuss the proposed amendment,
you may request a meeting by contacting the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. All such meetings are open to the public
and, if possible, we will post notices of meetings at the locations
listed under ADDRESSES. We will also make a written summary of each
meeting a part of the Administrative Record.
IV. Procedural Determinations
Executive Order 12866--Regulatory Planning and Review
This rule is exempted from review by the Office of Management and
Budget under Executive Order 12866.
Executive Order 12630--Takings
This rule does not have takings implications. This determination is
based on the analysis performed for the counterpart Federal
regulations.
Executive Order 13132--Federalism
This rule does not have federalism implications. SMCRA delineates
the roles of the Federal and State governments with regard to the
regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations. One of
the purposes of SMCRA is to ``establish a nationwide program to protect
society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal
mining operations.'' Section 503(a)(1) of SMCRA requires that State
laws regulating surface coal mining and reclamation operations be ``in
accordance with'' the requirements of SMCRA, and section 503(a)(7)
requires that State programs contain rules and regulations ``consistent
with'' regulations issued by the Secretary under SMCRA.
Executive Order 12988--Civil Justice Reform
The Department of the Interior has conducted the reviews required
by section 3 of Executive Order 12988 and has determined that, to the
extent allowed by law, this rule meets the applicable standards of
subsections (a) and (b) of this section. However, these standards are
not applicable to the actual language of State regulatory programs and
program amendments since each such program is drafted and promulgated
by a specific State, not OSM. Under sections 503 and 505 of SMCRA (30
U.S.C. 1253 and 1255) and 30 CFR 730.11, 732.15, and 732.17(h)(10),
decisions on proposed State regulatory programs and program amendments
submitted by the States must be based solely on a determination of
whether the submittal is consistent with SMCRA and its implementing
Federal regulations and whether the other requirements of 30 CFR Parts
730, 731, and 732 have been met.
National Environmental Policy Act
Section 702(d) of SMCRA (30 U.S.C. 1292(d)) provides that a
decision on a proposed State regulatory program provision does not
constitute a major Federal action within the meaning of
[[Page 54984]]
section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4332(2)(C)). A determination has been made that such decisions are
categorically excluded from the NEPA process (516 DM 8.4.A).
Paperwork Reduction Act
This rule does not contain information collection requirements that
require approval by the Office of Management and Budget under the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3507 et seq.).
Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Department of the Interior has determined that this rule will
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).
the State submittal which is the subject of this rule is based upon
counterpart Federal regulations for which an economic analysis was
prepared and certification made that such regulations would not have a
significant economic effect upon a substantial number of small
entities. Therefore, this rule will ensure that existing requirements
previously promulgated by OSM will be implemented by the State. In
making the determination as to whether this rule would have a
significant economic impact, the Department relied upon the data and
assumptions for the counterpart Federal regulations.
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
This rule is not a major rule under 5. U.S.C. 804(2), the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. This rule:
a. Does not have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million.
b. Will not cause a major increase in costs or prices for
consumers, individual industries, federal, state, or local government
agencies, or geographic regions.
c. Does not have significant adverse effects on competition,
employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of
U.S. based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises.
This determination is based upon the fact that the State submittal
which is the subject of this rule is based upon counterpart Federal
regulations for which an analysis was prepared and a determination made
that the Federal regulation was not considered a major rule.
Unfunded Mandates
This rule will not impose a cost of $100 million or more in any
given year on any governmental entity or the private sector.
List of Subjects in 30 CFR Part 943
Intergovernmental relations, Surface mining, Underground mining.
Dated: September 5, 2000.
Malcolm Ahrens,
Acting Regional Director, Mid-Continent Regional Coordinating Center.
[FR Doc. 00-23378 Filed 9-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-P