Virginia Regulatory Program

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement 30 CFR Part 946 [SATS No. VA-127-FOR; Docket ID: OSM-2015-0003; S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 223S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 22XS501520] AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior. ACTION: Final rule; approval of amendment with deferrals. SUMMARY: We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving, with two deferrals, an amendment to the Virginia regulatory program (the Virginia program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). This amendment includes revisions to Virginia's statutes and/or coal mining regulations that: remove self-bonds from the types of performance bond instruments authorized; adjust the financing of its alternative bonding system (ABS), which is in the form of a bond pool; and revise proof of publication requirements involving permit applications and bond release applications. We are deferring our decision on the removal of a regulation requiring certain actions by self-bonded operators when a condition affects their financial status and the proposed monetary cap on Virginia's pool bond fund. DATES: The effective date is January 10, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Castle, Acting Field Office Director, Charleston Field Office. Telephone: (859) 260-3900, Email: osm-chfo@osmre.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background on the Virginia Program II. Submiss…