Wyoming Regulatory Program

Issuing agencies

Abstract

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Wyoming regulatory program (hereinafter, the Wyoming program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Wyoming proposes revisions to its program, which includes rules regarding the disposal of decommissioned wind turbine blades and towers as backfill, in response to legislative changes made during the 2020 legislative session. In addition, revisions were made to Chapter 2: Permit Application Requirements for Surface Coal Mining Operations, to correct grammatical errors and provide consistency with the Secretary of State's Rules on Rules. The revised rules address several national, state, and local issues associated with wind energy generation, maintenance, and upgrades, as well as the resulting stockpile of decommissioned wind turbine blades and towers. This document gives the times and locations that the Wyoming program and proposed amendment to that program are available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.