§ 740.4 - Responsibilities.

§ 740.4 Responsibilities.

(a) The Secretary is responsible for:

(1) Approval, disapproval or conditional approval of mining plans with respect to lands containing leased Federal coal and of modifications thereto, in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, 30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.;

(2) Execution, modification or termination of State-Federal cooperative agreements in accordance with part 745 of this chapter;

(3) Designation of areas of Federal lands as unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining and reclamation operations, or termination of such designations, in accordance with part 769 of this chapter;

(4) Decisions on requests to determine whether a person possesses valid existing rights to conduct surface coal mining operations on Federal lands within the areas specified in § 761.11(a) and (b) of this chapter; and

(5) Issuance of findings concerning whether there are significant recreational, timber, economic, or other values that may be incompatible with surface coal mining operations on Federal lands within a national forest, as specified in § 761.11(b) of this chapter.

(b) OSM is responsible for:

(1) Providing a decision document recommending to the Secretary approval, disapproval or conditional approval of mining plans and of modifications thereto;

(2) Approval of experimental practices on Federal lands;

(3) Inspection, enforcement and civil penalties with respect to surface coal mining and reclamation operations on Federal lands except as provided in paragraph (c)(5) of this section;

(4) Processing citizen requests for Federal inspections on Federal lands in accordance with parts 842, 843 and 845 of this chapter; and

(5) Overseeing the State regulatory authority's administration and enforcement of the State program on Federal lands pursuant to the terms of any cooperative agreement.

(c) The following responsibilities of OSM may be delegated to a State regulatory authority under a cooperative agreement:

(1) Review and approval, conditional approval of disapproval or permit applications for surface coal mining and reclamation operations on Federal lands, revisions or renewals thereof, and applications for the transfer, sale or assignment of such permits;

(2) Consultation with and obtaining the consent, as necessary, of the Federal land management agency with respect to post-mining land use and to any special requirements necessary to protect non-coal resources of the areas affected by surface coal mining and reclamation operations;

(3) Consultation with and obtaining the consent, as necessary, of the Bureau of Land Management with respect to requirements relating to the development, production and recovery of mineral resources on lands affected by surface coal mining and reclamation operations involving leased Federal coal pursuant to 43 CFR Group 3400;

(4) Approval and release of performance bonds, liability insurance and, as applicable, Federal lessee protection bonds required for surface coal mining and reclamation operations on Federal lands. Approval and release of Federal lessee protection bonds requires the concurrence of the Federal land management agency;

(5) Responsibilities of the regulatory authority with respect to inspection, enforcement and civil penalty activities for

(i) exploration operations not subject to 43 CFR Group 3400, and

(ii) surface coal mining and reclamation operations on Federal lands;

(6) Review and approval of exploration operations not subject to the requirements of 43 CFR Group 3400; and

(7) Preparation of documentation to comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), except, OSM continues to be responsible for:

(i) Determining the scope, content and format and ensuring the objectivity of NEPA compliance documents;

(ii) Making the determination of whether or not the preparation of an environmental impact statement is required.

(iii) Notifying and soliciting views of other State and Federal agencies, as appropriate, on the environmental effects of the proposed action;

(iv) Publishing and distributing draft and final NEPA compliance documents;

(v) Making policy responses to comments on draft NEPA compliance documents;

(vi) Independently evaluating NEPA compliance documents; and

(vii) Adopting NEPA compliance documents and determining Federal actions to be taken on alternatives presented in such documents.

(d) The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for:

(1) Receiving and approving exploration plans pursuant to 43 CFR Group 3400;

(2) Inspection, enforcement and civil penalties with respect to the terms and conditions of coal exploration licenses issued pursuant to 43 CFR Group 3400;

(3) Inspection, enforcement and civil penalties with respect to the terms and conditions of exploration operations subject to 43 CFR Group 3400;

(4) Reviewing the resource recovery and protection plan and modifications thereto, as required by 43 CFR Group 3400 and recommending to the Secretary approval, disapproval or conditional approval of the resource recovery and protection plan;

(5) Inspection, enforcement and civil penalties with respect to the recovery and protection of the coal resource as required by 43 CFR Group 3400;

(6) Protecting mineral resources not included in the coal lease;

(7) Issuance of exploration licenses for Federal coal subject to the requirements of 43 CFR Group 3400;

(8) Issuance of leases and licenses to mine Federal coal subject to the requirements of 43 CFR Group 3400; and

(9) Issuance, readjustment, modification, termination, cancellation, and approval of transfers of Federal coal leases pursuant to the Mineral Leasing Act and the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended, 30 U.S.C. 351 et seq.

(e) The Federal land management agency is responsible for:

(1) Determining post-mining land uses;

(2) Protection of non-mineral resources;

(3) Requiring such conditions as may be appropriate to regulate surface coal mining and reclamation operations under other provisions of law applicable to such lands under its jurisdiction; and

(4) Where land containing leased Federal coal is under the surface jurisdiction of a Federal agency other than the Department, concur in the terms of the mining plan approval.

[48 FR 6935, Feb. 16, 1983, as amended at 48 FR 44779, Sept. 30, 1983; 55 FR 9401, Mar. 13, 1990; 64 FR 70830, Dec. 17, 1999]