Ohio Regulatory Program
Key claim: Federal mining regulators have approved Ohio’s rewrite of 39 state coal-mining rules covering permits, hydrologic maps, underground mining, small-operator aid, and self-bonding.
Abstract
(Rule · Interior Department, Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office) The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is approving an amendment to the Ohio regulatory program (Ohio program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). OSM is approving Ohio’s proposal to add, rescind, or modify 39 rules under the Ohio Administrative Code that relate to, among other things: permit applications, hydrologic map and cross-sections, general map requirements, requirements for permits for special categories of mining, underground mining permit application, small operator assistance program, and self-bonding.
Why this matters
Under SMCRA, states with primacy run their own coal mining permit and reclamation programs, but changes must be approved by federal OSMRE before taking effect. Ohio’s approved rewrite touches core operator-facing elements—permit applications, hydrologic baseline mapping, underground mining standards, small-operator financial assistance, and self-bonding—so it sets the practical compliance baseline for coal operations in the state. Routine approvals like this are the main mechanism by which state coal programs drift from the federal template over time.