[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 9137-9139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4618]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

30 CFR Part 935

[OH-242-FOR, #75]


Ohio Regulatory Program

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

ACTION: Final rule; approval of amendment.

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SUMMARY: OSM is approving a proposed amendment to the Ohio regulatory 
program (hereinafter referred to as the ``Ohio program'') under the 
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). Ohio 
proposed revisions to its statutes pertaining to attorney fees. The 
amendment is intended to revise the Ohio program to be consistent with 
the corresponding Federal regulations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: February 24, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
George Rieger, Field Branch Chief, Appalachian Regional Coordinating 
Center, OSM, 3 Parkway Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15220, Telephone: (412) 
937-2153.


[[Page 9138]]



SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background on the Ohio Program
II. Submission of the Proposed Amendment
III. Director's Findings
IV. Summary and Disposition of Comments
V. Director's Decision
VI. Procedural Determinations

I. Background on the Ohio Program

    On August 16, 1982, the Secretary of the Interior conditionally 
approved the Ohio program. Background information on the Ohio program, 
including the Secretary's findings, the disposition of comments, and 
the conditions of approval can be found in the August 10, 1982, Federal 
Register (47 FR 34668). Subsequent actions concerning conditions of 
approval and program amendments can be found at 30 CFR 935.11, 935.12, 
935.15, and 935.16.

II. Submission of the Proposed Amendment

    By letter dated June 24, 1997, (Administrative Record No. OH-2173-
00) Ohio submitted a proposed amendment to its program pursuant to 
SMCRA in response to a required amendment at 30 CFR 935.16(a)(1) and 
(2). Ohio proposes to revise the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) at section 
1513.13 which pertains to attorney fees.
    OSM announced receipt of the proposed amendment in the July 7, 
1997, Federal Register (62 FR 36248), and in the same document opened 
the public comment period and provided an opportunity for a public 
hearing on the adequacy of the proposed amendment. The public comment 
period closed on August 6, 1997.
    During its review of the proposed amendment, OSM identified 
concerns relating to the provisions of 1513.13(E)(1) and (2). OSM 
notified Ohio of the concerns by letter dated August 4, 1997 
(Administrative Record No. OH-2173-05). Ohio responded by letter dated 
August 19, 1997 (Administrative Record No. OH-2173-07), and revised the 
language at 1513.13(E)(2) to clarify that the statute applies to 
judicial review of any order or decision issued in any administrative 
proceeding under Chapter 1513.
    Ohio submitted a second letter date October 14, 1977 
(Administrative Record No. OH-2173-08) and revised the language at 
1513.13(E)(1) to clarify that the specified fee provisions apply to 
both enforcement and permitting decisions. It also revised section 
1513.13(E)(2), in the manner described below, in the Director's 
Findings. Because the revisions merely clarified the original proposed 
language and did not constitute major changes to the Ohio program, OSM 
did not reopen the comment period.
    OSM did reopen the comment period on December 2, 1997 (62 FR 63684) 
to summarize the provisions of the proposed revision to 1513.13(E)(2) 
which were inadvertently omitted from the first notice, and described 
in the Director's Findings below. The comment period closed on December 
17, 1997.

III. Director's Findings

    Set forth below, pursuant to SMCRA and the Federal regulations at 
30 CFR 732.15 and 732.17, are the Director's findings concerning the 
proposed amendment.
    Revisions not specifically discussed below concern nonsubstantive 
wording changes, or revised cross-references and paragraph notations to 
reflect organizational changes resulting from this amendment.

ORC 1513.13--Appeal of Violation, Order, or Decision to Reclamation 
Commission

    At paragraph (E)(1), Ohio is requiring that whenever an enforcement 
order or permit is issued pursuant to Chapter 1513 and is appealed, 
certain costs and attorney fees may be awarded. At paragraph (E)(1)(a), 
Ohio is proposing that a party, other than the permittee or the 
Division of Mines and Reclamation, may file a petition for an award of 
costs and expenses. The party may be awarded those costs and expenses, 
including attorney's fees that were necessary and reasonably incurred 
by the petitioning party. At paragraph (E)(1)(b), Ohio is clarifying 
that a permittee may file, with the Chief, a request for an award to 
the permittee of the costs and expenses, including attorney's fees, 
reasonably incurred by the permittee in connection with an appeal 
initiated under this section. The Chief may assess those costs and 
expenses against a party who initiated, or participated in, the appeal 
if the permittee demonstrates that the party initiated or participated 
in the appeal in bad faith and for the purpose of harassing or 
embarrassing the permittee. At paragraph (E)(1)(c), Ohio is clarifying 
that attorney's fees are included in the costs and expenses specified. 
A party who participated in an appeal in bad faith may have costs and 
expenses assessed against him or her. At paragraph (E)(2), Ohio is 
providing that if a final order relating to Chapter 1513 is issued by 
the Reclamation Commission pursuant to section 1513.13(B) or by a Court 
of Common Pleas pursuant to section 1513.15(B) or by the Chief pursuant 
to section 1513.39 and becomes the subject of judicial review, certain 
costs and expenses, including attorney fees, reasonably incurred by a 
party in connection with their participation in the judicial 
proceedings may be awarded.
    The Director finds that the proposed revisions at 1513.13(E)(2) are 
substantively identical to section 525(e) of SMCRA, 30 U.S.C. section 
1275(e), which provides for the award of a sum equal to the aggregate 
amount of all costs and expenses, including attorney fees, to have been 
reasonably incurred by a participant in such administrative or judicial 
proceedings. The Director finds that the revisions proposed at 
1513.13(E)(1), (E)(1)(a), (E)(1)(b), and (E)(1)(c) are substantively 
identical to section 525(e) of SMCRA, 43 CFR 4.1294(b), 43 CFR 
4.1294(d), and 43 CFR 4.1294(e), respectively. The proposed revisions 
also satisfy the conditions of the required amendments at 30 CFR 
935.16(a)(1) and (2). Ohio's provisions clarify that fee provisions 
apply to both enforcement and permitting decisions and that costs may 
be assessed against any participant in bad faith appeals. Therefore, 
the Director is removing the required amendments.

IV. Summary and Disposition of Comments

Public Comments

    The Director solicited public comments and provided an opportunity 
for a public hearing on the proposed amendment. One public comment was 
received in support of the proposed revisions. Four other commentors 
expressed concern that the proposed amendment appears to adversely 
affect or eliminate altogether the ability of citizens to recover the 
costs and fees they incur in appealing a decision which involves 
industrial minerals mining permits. The Director notes that to the 
extent that these comments pertain to non-coal mineral regulation, they 
are not germane to this rulemaking, which only concerns the effect 
which the proposed revisions have on the award of attorney fees as a 
result of administrative and judicial appeals of decisions related to 
coal mining. OSM's approval of these revisions is neither an explicit 
nor an implicit approval of the curtailment of attorney fee awards in 
industrial mineral proceedings, since OSM has no jurisdiction over such 
proceedings. (The converse is also true. Were OSM to disapprove these 
revisions, that disapproval would only affect coal mining proceedings. 
The applicability of the revisions to industrial minerals proceedings 
would not be affected.)
    Two commenters also argued that the proposed change to ORC 
1513.13(E)(1)

[[Page 9139]]

is inconsistent with the underlying objective of 30 CFR 732.15(b)(10), 
which is to require state mining laws to have provisions ``for public 
participation in the development, revision and enforcement of State 
regulations and the State program, consistent with public participation 
requirements of the Act and this chapter.'' As noted in the finding 
above, the Director has determined that Ohio's proposed revisions are 
consistent with counterpart provisions in SMCRA and the Federal 
regulations. 30 CFR 732.15(b)(10) requires that states provide for 
public participation in all aspects of the regulation of surface coal 
mining operations only. The commenters fail to articulate how these 
revisions curtail public participation with respect to the regulation 
of surface coal mining operations.

Federal Agency Comments

    Pursuant to 30 CFR 732.17(h)(11)(i), the Director solicited 
comments on the proposed amendment from various Federal agencies with 
an actual or potential interest in the Ohio program. The Department of 
Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Department of the 
Army, Army Corps of Engineers, both concurred without comment.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

    Purusant to 30 CFR 732.17(h)(11)(ii), OSM is required to obtain the 
written concurrence of the EPA with respect to those provisions of the 
proposed program amendment that relate to air or water quality 
standards promulgated under the authority of the Clean Water Act (33 
U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) or the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.).
    None of the revisions Ohio proposed to make in its amendment 
pertains to air or water quality standards. Nevertheless, OSM requested 
EPA's concurrence with the proposed amendment. EPA did not respond to 
OSM's request.

V. Director's Decision

    Based on the above findings, the Director approves the proposed 
amendment as submitted by Ohio on June 24, 1997, and revised on August 
19, 1997, and October 14, 1997. The Director is also removing the 
required amendments at 30 CFR 935.16(a) (1) and (2) because they have 
been satisfied by revisions contained in this submission.
    The Federal regulations at 30 CFR part 935, codifying decisions 
concerning the Ohio program, are being amended to implement this 
decision. This final rule is being made effective immediately to 
expedite the State program amendment process and to encourage States to 
bring their programs into conformity with the Federal standards without 
undue delay. Consistency of State and Federal standards is required by 
SMCRA.

VI. Procedural Determinations

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).

Executive Order 12988

    The Department of the Interior has conducted the reviews required 
by section 3 of Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice Reform) and has 
determined that, to the extent allowed by law, 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 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

    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)).

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.).

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 
corresponding 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 corresponding Federal regulations.

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 935

    Intergovernmental relations, Surface mining, Underground mining.

    Dated: February 9, 1998.
Allen D. Klein,
Regional Director, Appalachian Regional Coordinating Center.

    For the reasons set out in the preamble, Title 30, Chapter VII, 
Subchapter T of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as set forth 
below:

PART 935--OHIO

    1. The authority citation for part 935 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.

    2. Section 935.15 is amended in the table by adding a new entry in 
chronological order by ``Date of Final Publication'' to read as 
follows:


Sec. 935.15  Approval of Ohio regulatory program amendments.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Original amendment submission    Date of final                         
             date                  publication      Citation/description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                        
                  *        *        *        *        *                 
June 24, 1997.................  [Insert date of    ORC 1513.13(E).      
                                 publication in                         
                                 the Federal                            
                                 Register].                             
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Sec. 935.16  [Amended]

    3. Section 935.16 is amended by removing the text, and reserving 
the section and section heading.

[FR Doc. 98-4618 Filed 2-23-98; 8:45 am]
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