Wyoming Regulatory Program

Issuing agencies

Abstract

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are announcing receipt of a proposed regulatory and statutory amendment to the Wyoming coal program (Wyoming program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). On March 2, 2016 the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council approved a number of revisions to the rules governing coal exploration by drilling under the Wyoming program. Specifically, the proposed revisions include more detailed instructions for plugging and sealing drill holes, incorporate best management practices, and make additional formatting and organizational changes. Additionally, between 1978 and 2007 the Wyoming state legislature enacted a number of revisions to the statutes governing coal exploration by drilling. The proposed statutory revisions reflect organizational updates at the Wyoming Land Quality Division, correct a typographical error, provide more detailed instructions for plugging and sealing drill holes, incorporate provisions for the awarding of attorney fees and other litigation costs, and include more detailed instructions for bond release. Accordingly, the State submitted this proposal to OSMRE at its own initiative. This document gives the times and locations that the Wyoming program and this 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.