West 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 948 [WV-116-FOR; OSM-2009-0008; S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 245S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 24XS501520] AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior. ACTION: Final rule; partial approval of amendment with 12 approved provisions, 5 provisions receiving qualified approval, and 1 not approved provision. SUMMARY: We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), approve in part amendments to the West Virginia regulatory program (the West Virginia program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). These amendments make changes to the West Virginia Coal Mining and Reclamation Act (WVSCMRA), the Code of West Virginia (W.Va. Code), and the West Virginia Code of State Rules (CSR). We approve 12 provisions, approving with understanding 5 provisions, and not approving 1 provision. DATES: This rule is effective January 2, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Justin Adams, Director, Charleston Field Office, Telephone: (304) 977-7450. Email: osm-chfo@osmre.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background on the West Virginia Program II. Submission of the Amendment III. OSMRE's Findings IV. Summary and Disposition of Comments V. OSMRE's Decision VI. Statutory and Executive Order Review I. Background on the West Virginia Program Subject to OSMRE's oversight, section 503(a) of the Act permits a State to assum…