[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13117-13119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7288]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

30 CFR Part 931

[SPATS No. NM-037-FOR]


New Mexico Regulatory Program

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

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

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SUMMARY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is 
announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the New Mexico regulatory 
program (hereinafter, the ``New Mexico program'') under the Surface 
Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). The proposed 
amendment consists of revisions to or additions of rules pertaining to 
permit application contents for contour maps of the permit area and 
operations exclusively under reclamation, permit approval or denial, 
contents of bond release applications, timeliness of backfilling and 
grading, approval of small depressions, performance standards for all 
roads and primary roads, and blaster examination and certification 
requirements. The amendment is intended to revise the New Mexico 
program to incorporate the additional flexibility afforded by the 
revised Federal regulations, as

[[Page 13118]]
amended, and improve operational efficiency.

DATES: Written comments must be received by 4:00 p.m., m.d.t., April 
25, 1996. If requested, a public hearing on the proposed amendment will 
be held on April 22, 1996. Requests to present oral testimony at the 
hearing must be received by 4:00 p.m., m.d.t., on April 10, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or hand delivered to Guy 
Padgett at the address listed below.
    Copies of the New Mexico 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.

Guy Padgett, Director, Albuquerque Field Office, Office of Surface 
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 505 Marquette Avenue, NW., Suite 
1200, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
Mining and Minerals Division, New Mexico Energy and Minerals 
Department, 2040 South Pacheco Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, 
Telephone: (505) 827-5970

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Guy Padgett, Telephone: (505) 248-
5081.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background on the New Mexico Program

    On December 31, 1980, the Secretary of the Interior conditionally 
approved the New Mexico program. General background information on the 
New Mexico program, including the Secretary's findings, the disposition 
of comments, and the conditions of approval of the New Mexico program 
can be found in the December 31, 1980, Federal Register (45 FR 86459). 
Subsequent actions concerning New Mexico's program and program 
amendments can be found at 30 CFR 931.11, 931,15, 931.16, and 931.30.

II. Proposed Amendment

    By letter dated March 11, 1996, New Mexico submitted a proposed 
amendment to its program pursuant to SMCRA (administrative record No. 
NM-773, 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.). New Mexico submitted the proposed 
amendment at its own initiative. The provisions of the Coal Surface 
Mining Commission (CSMC) rules that New Mexico proposes to revise or 
add are:
    CSMC Rule 80-1-5-23(a), concerning general requirements for permit 
applications, by adding a reference to Part 15 for mines exclusively 
under reclamation;
    CSMC Rule 80-1-8-25(k), concerning contour maps with a maximum of 5 
foot contour intervals in permit applications, by deleting specific 
requirements at CSMC Rule 80-1-8-25(k) (1) through (3) for showing the 
existing land surface configuration for the proposed affected areas and 
adding the requirement that the existing land surface configuration be 
shown for the proposed permit area;
    CSMC Rule 80-1-11-19(c), concerning criteria for permit approval or 
denial, by adding the word ``hydrological'' to the phrase ``probable 
cumulative hydrological impacts'' and the acronym ``(CHIA)'' following 
the phrase;
    CSMC Rule 80-1-14-40(a), concerning bond release applications, by 
adding a new paragraph (a)(2) which summarizes the minimum contents of 
an application for a bond release and revising recodified paragraph 
(a)(3) to delete a bond release application content requirement that is 
now part of new paragraph (a)(2);
    CSMC Rule 80-1-15, concerning minimum requirements for permit 
applications for coal mining operations exclusively under reclamation, 
by adding a new Part 15 which consists of requirements for: general 
information at 15-11, information concerning identification of 
interests at 15-12(a) through (j), compliance information at 15-13(a) 
through (d), right of entry and operation information at 15-14(a) and 
(b), permit term information at 15-15(a) and (b), personal injury and 
property damage insurance information at 15-16, identification of other 
licenses and permits at 15-17(a) through (d), identification of 
location of public office for filing of application at 15-18, newspaper 
advertisement and proof of publication at 15-19, general environmental 
resources information at 15-20(a) through (f), the operation plan at 
15-21(a) and (b), the fish and wildlife plan at 15-22(a) and (b), the 
reclamation plan including protection of the hydrologic balance, 
postmining land uses, and ponds, impoundments, banks, dams, and 
embankments, at respectively, 15-23(a) and (b), 15-24(a) through (e), 
15-25(a) and (b), and 15-26(a) through (e), and protection of public 
parks and historic places at 15-27;
    CSMC 80-1-20-101(a), concerning backfilling and grading 
requirements for contour mining, open pit mining, and strip mining, by 
deleting from 20-101(a)(1) through (3) all time limits by which 
backfilling and grading must commence so that the existing distance 
limits are the only measure of when backfilling and grading must 
commence, and replacing the term ``area strip mining'' with the term 
``strip mining'' at 20-101(a)(3);
    CSMC 80-1-20-102(c), concerning backfilling and grading to create 
small depressions, to add the allowance for New Mexico to approval 
small depressions if they create and enhance wildlife habitat;
    CSMC 80-1-20-150(b), concerning performance standards for all 
roads, to delete the requirement at 20-150(b)(9) that all roads have, 
at a minimum, a static safety factor of 1.3 for all embankments;
    CSMC 80-1-20-151(a), concerning performance standards for primary 
roads, to add at 20-151(a)(5) the requirement that all primary roads 
have a static factor of safety of 1.3, at a minimum, for all 
embankments; and
    CSMC 80-1-33-14 and 80-1-33-15, concerning examination and 
certification for blasters, by deleting the existing requirements and 
replacing them with new requirements for (1) examination at 33-14(a) 
and (b) that include a written exam to demonstrate competence and a 
minimum of one year of practical field experience and (2) certification 
at 33-15(a) through (e) that include requirements for certification 
every four years, suspension and revocation of certification, 
recertification (by reexamination, training, and demonstration), 
protection of certification, and conditions for maintaining 
certification.

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 New Mexico 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.,

[[Page 13119]]
m.d.t., on April 10, 1996. 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 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 OMS 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 931

    Intergovernmental relations, Surface mining, Underground mining.

    Dated: March 19, 1996.
Russell F. Price,
Acting Regional Director, Western Regional Coordinating Center.
[FR Doc. 96-7288 Filed 3-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M