[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8917]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 14, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

30 CFR Part 756

 

Hopi Tribe Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation (AMLR) Plan

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), 
Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; public comment period and opportunity for public 
hearing.

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SUMMARY: OSM is announcing receipt of a request from the Hopi Tribe 
regarding its AMLR plan (hereinafter, the ``Hopi Tribe plan'') under 
the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). The 
Tribe has requested the concurrence of the Secretary of the Department 
of the Interior with its certification of completion of coal 
reclamation under the Hopi Tribe plan. If the Secretary concurs with 
the certification, the Hopi Tribe intends to request AMLR funds for 
construction of public facilities in areas of the Hopi Reservation 
impacted by coal development, mining, or processing.

DATES: Written comments must be received by 4 p.m., m.d.t. on May 16, 
1994. If requested, a public hearing on the Tribe's request will be 
held on May 9, 1994. Requests to present oral testimony at the hearing 
must be received by 4 p.m., m.d.t. on April 29, 1994. Any disabled 
individual who has need for a special accommodation to attend a public 
hearing should contact the individual listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or hand delivered to 
Robert H. Hagen at the address listed below.
    Copies of the Hopi Tribe plan, the Tribe's request, and all written 
comments received in response to this document will be available for 
public review at the addresses listed below during normal business 
hours, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Each requester may 
receive one free copy of the Tribe's request by contacting OSM's 
Albuquerque Field Office.

Robert H. Hagen, Director, Albuquerque Field Office, Office of Surface 
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 505 Marquette Avenue, NW., suite 
1200, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102, Telephone: (505) 766-1486.
Hopi Abandoned Mine Land Program, The Hopi Tribe, Hopi Tribal Complex, 
Kykotsmovi, Arizona 86039.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert H. Hagen, Telephone: (505) 766-1486.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background on Title IV of SMCRA.
II. Background on the Hopi Tribe Plan.
III. Discussion of Proposed Action.
IV. Public Comment Procedures.
V. Procedural Determinations.
VI. List of Subjects in 30 CFR Part 756.

I. Background on Title IV of SMCRA

    Title IV of SMCRA established an AMLR program for the purposes of 
reclaiming and restoring lands and waters adversely affected by past 
mining. The program is funded by a reclamation fee levied on the 
production of coal. Lands and waters eligible for reclamation under 
title IV are those that were mined or affected by mining and abandoned 
or inadequately reclaimed prior to August 3, 1977, and for which there 
is no continuing reclamation responsibility under State, Federal, 
Tribal, or other laws.
    Title IV provides for State or Tribal submittal to OSM of an AMLR 
plan. The Secretary of the Interior adopted regulations in 30 CFR parts 
870 through 888 that implement Title IV of SMCRA. Under these 
regulations, the Secretary reviewed the plans submitted by States and 
Tribes and solicited and considered comments of State and Federal 
agencies and the public. Based upon the comments received, the 
Secretary determined whether a State or Tribe had the ability and 
necessary legislation to implement the provisions of Title IV. After 
making such a determination, the Secretary decided whether to approve 
the State or Tribe program and granted the State or Tribe exclusive 
authority to administer its approved plan.
    Ordinarily, under section 405 of SMCRA, a State or Tribe must have 
an approved surface mining regulatory program prior to submittal of an 
AMLR plan to OSM. However, on July 11, 1987, the President signed a 
supplemental appropriations bill (Pub. L. 100-71) that authorized the 
Crow, Navajo, and Hopi Tribes to adopt AMLR programs without approval 
of Tribal surface mining regulatory programs.
    Upon approval of a State's or Tribe's plan by the Secretary, the 
State or Tribe may submit to OSM, on an annual basis, an application 
for funds to be expended by that State or Tribe on specific projects 
that are necessary to implement the approved plan. Such annual requests 
are reviewed and approved by OSM in accordance with the requirements of 
30 CFR Part 886.

II. Background on the Hopi Tribe Plan

    On June 28, 1988, the Secretary of the Interior approved the Hopi 
Tribe plan. General background information on the Hopi Tribe plan, 
including the Secretary's findings, the disposition of comments, and 
the approval of the Hopi Tribe plan can be found in the June 28, 1988, 
Federal Register (53 FR 24262). Approval of the Hopi Tribe plan is 
codified at 30 CFR 756.15.

III. Discussion of Proposed Action

    By letter dated February 2, 1994, the Chairman and Chief Executive 
Officer of the Hopi Tribe notified the Secretary of the Interior that 
the Tribe had satisfied the requirements of SMCRA in regard to 
abandoned coal mine reclamation and was, therefore, requesting the 
Secretary's concurrence with certification of completion of all known 
coal-related problems (administrative record No. HO-002-FOR).

IV. Public Comment Procedures

    In accordance with section 411 of SMCRA, OSM is seeking public 
comments and information concerning any known or suspected unreclaimed 
lands and water resources on Hopi lands that may have been adversely 
affected by coal mining practices prior to August 3, 1977, and for 
which there is no continuing reclamation responsibility under State, 
Federal Tribal, or other laws.
    Should the Secretary concur with the certification, the Tribe 
intends to request, in accordance with 30 CFR part 886, AMLR funding 
for the construction of public facilities as provided under sections 
411 (e) and (f) of SMCRA.
    If no past coal mining problems eligible for funding under section 
404 of SMCRA are identified through this process, the Secretary intends 
to concur with the Tribe's certification. If, after the Secretary's 
concurrence, a coal problem occurs or is identified, the Tribe would 
have to seek immediate funding for reclaiming the coal-related problem.

1. Written Comments

    Written comments should be specific, pertain only to the Hopi 
Tribe's request for certification of completion of coal reclamation, 
and include explanations in support of the commenter's recommendations. 
Comments received after the time indicated under dates or at locations 
other than the Albuquerque Field Office will not necessarily be 
considered in the final rulemaking or included in the administrative 
record.

2. Public Hearing

    Persons wishing to testify at the public hearing should contact the 
person listed under for further information contact by 4 p.m., m.d.t. 
on April 29, 1994. The location and time of the hearing will be 
arranged with those persons requesting the hearing. If no one requests 
an opportunity to testify at the public hearing, the hearing will not 
be held.
    Filing of a written statement at the time of the hearing is 
requested as it will greatly assist the transcriber. Submission of 
written statements in advance of the hearing will allow OSM officials 
to prepare adequate responses and appropriate questions.
    The public hearing will continue on the specified date until all 
persons scheduled to testify have been heard. Persons in the audience 
who have not been scheduled to testify, and who wish to do so, will be 
heard following those who have been scheduled. The hearing will end 
after all persons scheduled to testify and persons present in the 
audience who wish to testify have been heard.

3. Public Meeting

    If only one person requests an opportunity to testify at a hearing, 
a public meeting, rather than a public hearing, may be held. Persons 
wishing to meet with OSM representatives to discuss the Tribe's request 
may request a meeting by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT. All such meetings will be open to the public and, 
if possible, notices of meetings will be posted at the locations listed 
under ADDRESSES. A written summary of each meeting will be made a part 
of the administrative record.

V. Procedural Determinations

1. Executive Order 12866

    This rule is exempted from review by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) under Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and 
Review).

2. Executive Order 12778

    The Department of the Interior has conducted the reviews required 
by section 2 of Executive Order 12778 (Civil Justice Reform) and has 
determined that this rule meets the applicable standards of subsections 
(a) and (b) of that section. However, these standards are not 
applicable to the actual language of State or Tribal AMLR plans and 
revisions thereof since each such plan is drafted and promulgated by a 
specific State or Tribe, not by OSM. Decisions on proposed State or 
Tribal AMLR plans and revisions thereof submitted by a State or Tribe 
are based on a determination of whether the submittal meets the 
requirements of Title IV of SMCRA (30 U.S.C. 1231-1243) and the 
applicable Federal regulations at 30 CFR parts 884 and 888.

3. National Environmental Policy Act

    No environmental impact statement is required for this rule since 
agency decisions on proposed State or Tribal AMLR plans and revisions 
thereof are categorically excluded from compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4332) by the Manual of the 
Department of the Interior (516 DM 6, appendix 8, paragraph 8.4B(29)).

4. Paperwork Reduction Act

    This rule does not contain information collection requirements that 
require approval by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 
3507 et seq.).

5. 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 Tribal submittal that is the subject of this rule is based upon 
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. 
Accordingly, this rule will ensure that existing requirements 
established by SMCRA or previously promulgated by OSM will be 
implemented by the Tribe. In making the determination as to whether 
this rule would have a significant economic impact, the Department 
relied upon the data and assumptions in the analyses for the 
corresponding Federal regulations.

List of Subjects in 30 CFR Part 756

    Indian lands, Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program.

    Dated: April 7, 1994.
Raymond L. Lowrie,
Assistant Director, Western Support Center.
[FR Doc. 94-8917 Filed 4-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M