Montana Regulatory Program

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are reopening the public comment period due to the receipt of revisions to a proposed amendment to the Montana regulatory program (hereinafter, the Montana program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Montana is proposing revisions to the Administrative Rules of Montana pertaining to ownership and control and the applicant violator system. These changes were required by a March 30, 2023 letter from OSMRE to Montana (hereinafter, issue letter) after our review of Montana's original July 28, 2021 proposed amendment submittal. The July 28, 2021 proposed amendment submittal by Montana was the result of an October 2, 2009, letter from OSMRE to Montana (hereinafter, 732 letter), and were necessitated by a Senate bill approved by the 2013 Montana Legislature. This document gives the times and locations that the Montana program and this revised proposed amendment to that program are available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the revised amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.