[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28894]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 23, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
30 CFR Part 918

 

Louisiana Regulatory Program

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

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

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SUMMARY: OSM is announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the 
Louisiana regulatory program (hereinafter, the ``Louisiana program'') 
under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The 
proposed amendment consists of revisions to Louisiana's revegetation 
success regulations and a policy statement pertaining to tree stocking 
for forest land. The amendment is intended to revise the Louisiana 
program to be consistent with the corresponding Federal regulations.

DATES: Written comments must be received by 4:00 p.m., c.s.t. December 
23, 1994. If requested, a public hearing on the proposed amendment will 
be held on December 19, 1994. Requests to present oral testimony at the 
hearing must be received by 4:00 p.m., c.s.t. on December 8, 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 James 
H. Moncrief at the address listed below.
    Copies of the Louisiana program, the proposed amendment, 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 proposed amendment by 
contacting OSM's Tulsa Field Office.

James H. Moncrief, Director, Tulsa Field Office, Office of Surface 
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 5100 East Skelly Drive, Suite 550, 
Tulsa, OK 74135-6548
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Office of Conservation, P.O. 
Box 94275, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-9275, Telephone: (504) 342-5540

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James H. Moncrief, Telephone: (918) 
581-6430.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background on the Louisiana Program

    On October 10, 1980, the Secretary of the Interior conditionally 
approved the Louisiana program. General background information on the 
Louisiana program, including the Secretary's findings, the disposition 
of comments, and the conditions of approval of the Louisiana program 
can be found in the October 10, 1980, Federal Register (45 FR 67340). 
Subsequent actions concerning Louisiana's program and program 
amendments can be found at 30 CFR 918.15 and 918.16.

II. Proposed Amendment

    By letter dated November 2, 1994, Louisiana submitted a proposed 
amendment to its program pursuant to SMCRA (administrative record No. 
LA-351). Louisiana submitted the proposed amendment in response to the 
required program amendments at 30 CFR 918.16 (a) and (b) with the 
intent of making its program consistent with the corresponding Federal 
regulations.
    Louisiana proposes to recodify Louisiana Surface Mining Regulations 
(LSMR) Sec. 53123 as Sec. 5423.
    Louisiana also proposes to revise LSMR 5423.B.4, standards for 
success of revegetation at final bond release on reclaimed lands 
developed for forestry. Existing LSMR 5423.B.4 requires that ``[a]t the 
time of final bond release there shall be 450 well-distributed free-to-
grow live pine trees of the same age per acre or 250 well-distributed 
live hardwood trees of the same age per acre'' and that ``[c]countable 
stems shall be a minimum of three years old.'' Louisiana proposes to 
revise LSMR 5423.B.4 to include the requirement that countable tree 
stems used in determining the success of stocking and the adequacy of 
the plant arrangement shall ``have utility for the approved forestry 
postmining land use and be healthy.'' Louisiana also proposes Policy 
Statement No. PS-5 to clarify that 100 percent of the threes counted to 
determine revegetation success must be in place for a minimum of 60 
percent of the minimum responsibility period (i.e., a minimum 3 years 
of the minimum 5-year responsibility period).

III. Public Comment Procedures

    In accordance with the provisions of 30 CFR 732.17(h), OSM is 
seeking comments on whether the proposed amendment satisfies the 
applicable program approval criteria of 30 CFR 732.15. If the amendment 
is deemed adequate, it will become part of the Louisiana program.

1. Written Comments

    Written comments should be specific, pertain only to the issues 
proposed in this rulemaking, and include explanations in support of the 
commenter's recommendations. Comments received after the time indicated 
under ``DATES'' or at locations other than the Tulsa 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 4:00 p.m., 
c.s.t. on December 8, 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 proposed 
amendment 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.

IV. 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 regulatory programs and 
program amendments since each such program is drafted and promulgated 
by a specific State, not by OSM. Under sections 503 and 505 of SMCRA 
(30 U.S.C. 1253 and 1255) and the Federal regulations at 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.

3. National Environmental Policy Act

    No environmental impact statement is required for this rule since 
section 702(d) of SMCRA ((30 U.S.C. 1292(d)) provides that agency 
decisions on proposed State regulatory program provisions do not 
constitute major Federal actions within the meaning of section 
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act ((42 U.S.C. 
4332(2)(C)).

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 State submittal that 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 
significant economic effect upon a substantial number of small 
entities. Accordingly, 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.

List of Subjects in 30 CFR Part 918

    Intergovernmental relations, Surface mining, Underground mining.

    Dated: November 17, 1994.
Charles E. Sandberg,
Acting Assistant Director, Western Support Center.
[FR Doc. 94-28894 Filed 11-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M