Pennsylvania 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 938 [SATS No. PA-167-FOR; Docket ID: OSM-2017-0009; S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 234S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 23XS501520] AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving an amendment to the Pennsylvania regulatory program under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). The amendment authorizes and implements a land reclamation financial guarantee program as a new alternative bonding option for operators that meet certain requirements. The amendment also authorizes and implements a bioenergy crop bonding program to provide financial guarantees to remining operators that grow bioenergy crops as a postmining land use. Finally, the amendment standardizes certain terms and corrects citations in statutory and regulatory provisions affected by the addition of a new section to the Pennsylvania regulatory program or changed for other reasons. DATES: This rule is effective September 9, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ben Owens, Acting Field Office Director, Pittsburgh Field Office, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 3 Parkway Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15220, Telephone: (412) 937-2827, Email: bowens@osmre.gov , Fax: (412) 937-2177. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background on the Pennsylvania Pro…