North Dakota 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 934 [SATS No. ND-057-FOR; Docket ID: OSM-2022-0011; S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 234S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 23XS501520] AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior. ACTION: Final rule; approval of amendment. SUMMARY: We, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), are approving an amendment to the North Dakota regulatory program under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). North Dakota has made changes to the North Dakota Century Code and North Dakota Administrative Code resulting from actions initiated during both the 2017 and 2021 Legislative Sessions. Changes include altering the time required for scheduling and applying for select permit related actions, creation of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and a transfer of select responsibilities from the Department of Health, establishment of the Department of Water Resources, and the powers and duties of that agency and the state engineer. DATES: The effective date is September 10, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Fleischman, Denver Field Division Chief, Office of Surface Mining, Casper Area Office, P.O. Box 11018, 100 East B Street, Room 4100, Casper, Wyoming 82601-1018. Telephone: (307) 204-4397. Email: jfleischman@osmre.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background on the North Dakota Program II. Submission of the Amendment III. OSMRE'…