[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 15, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13935-13936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6301]



-----------------------------------------------------------------------


DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
30 CFR Part 944


Utah 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: OSM is announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Utah 
regulatory program (hereinafter, the ``Utah program'') under the 
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). The 
proposed amendment consists of revisions to rules pertaining to permit 
application requirements and normal husbandry practices and Utah's 
``Vegetation Information Guidelines.'' The amendment is intended to 
improve operational efficiency.

DATES: Written comments must be received by 4:00 p.m., m.d.t. April 14, 
1995. If requested, a public hearing on the proposed amendment will be 
held on April 10, 1995. Requests to present oral testimony at the 
hearing must be received by 4:00 p.m., m.s.t. on March 30, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or hand delivered to 
Thomas E. Ehmett at the address listed below.
    Copies of the Utah 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 
Albuquerque Field Office.

Thomas E. Ehmett, Acting Director, Albuquerque Field Office, Office of 
Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 505 Marquette Avenue, NW., 
Suite 1200, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
Utah Coal Regulatory Program, Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, 355 
West North Temple, 3 Triad Center, Suite 350, Salt Lake City, Utah 
84180-1203, Telephone: (801) 538-5340.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas E. Ehmett, Telephone: (505) 766-1486.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background on the Utah Program

    On January 21, 1981, the Secretary of the Interior conditionally 
approved the Utah program. General background information on the Utah 
program, including the Secretary's findings, the disposition of 
comments, and the conditions of approval of the Utah program can be 
found in the January 21, 1981, Federal Register (46 FR 5899). 
Subsequent actions concerning Utah's program and program amendments can 
be found at 30 CFR 944.15, 944.16, and 944.30.

II. Proposed Amendment

    By letter dated February 6, 1995, Utah submitted a proposed 
amendment to its program pursuant to SMCRA (administrative record No. 
UT-1025). Utah submitted the proposed amendment at its own initiative. 
Utah proposes to revise its Coal Mining Rules at Utah Administrative 
(Utah Admin. R.) 645-301-321.100 and .200, 645-301-322.332, and 645-
301-342.352, concerning permit application requirements, and Utah 
Admin. R. 645-301-357.300 through 365, concerning normal husbandry 
practices. Utah also proposes to revise its ``Vegetation Information 
Guidelines,'' concerning a Bibliography of referenced publications for 
the proposed normal husbandry practices.
    Specifically, Utah proposes to revise Utah Admin. R. 645-301-
321.100 and .200, 645-301-322.332, and 645-301-342.352 by adding the 
terms ``surface coal mining and reclamation activities'' and/or 
``underground coal mining and reclamation activities;'' Utah Admin. R. 
645-301-357.300 by deleting existing general information concerning 
Utah's authority to approve selective husbandry practices; and Utah 
Admin. R. 645-301-357.301 through .365 by adding, as proposed normal 
husbandry practices, (1) Limited reseeding or replanting of trees or 
shrubs, (2) chemical, mechanical , and biological weed control and 
associated revegetation, (3) control of pests including big game, small 
mammals, and insects, (4) reseeding and/or replanting as a result of 
third-party interference or natural disasters, excluding climatic 
variation and including vandalism which is not caused by any lack of 
planning, design, or implementation of the mining and reclamation plan, 
wildfires, earth quakes, and mass movement originating outside the 
disturbed area, (5) limited irrigation, and (6) limited repair of 
highly erodible areas and rills and gullies. Utah also proposes to 
revise its ``Vegetation Information Guidelines'' by adding Appendix C, 
a bibliography of referenced publications supporting the proposed 
normal husbandry practices.

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 Utah 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 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 4:00 p.m., 
m.s.t. on March 30, 1995. 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. 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 [[Page 13936]] 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 of 1969 (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 a 
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 944

    Intergovernmental relations, Surface mining, Underground mining.

    Dated: March 7, 1995.
Charles E. Sandberg,
Acting Assistant Director, Western Support Center.
[FR Doc. 95-6301 Filed 3-14-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M