30 CFR Chapter VII, Subchapter A - GENERAL

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is proposing to revise existing regulations for well control and blowout preventer systems. This proposed rule would revise requirements for well design, well control, casing, cementing, real-time monitoring (RTM), and subsea containment. These revisions modify regulations pertaining to offshore oil and gas drilling, completions, workovers, and decommissioning in accordance with Executive and Secretary of the Interior's Orders to ensure safety and environmental protection, while correcting errors and reducing certain unnecessary regulatory burdens imposed under the existing regulations. Accordingly, after thoroughly reexamining the original Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control final rule (WCR), experiences from the implementation process, and BSEE policy, BSEE proposes to amend, revise, or remove current regulatory provisions that create unnecessary burdens on stakeholders while ensuring safety and environmental protection. The proposed regulations would also address various issues and errors that were identified during the implementation of the recent rulemaking on these issues.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving an amendment to the Alabama regulatory program (Alabama program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Alabama proposed revisions clarifying that the venue for appeals of Alabama Surface Mining Commission decisions resides in the Circuit Court of the county in which the agency maintains its principal office. Alabama is revising its program to be no less effective than the Federal regulations and to improve operational efficiency.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is announcing the dates and locations of additional public stakeholder meetings on the Agency's standards for Examinations of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines.

In response to requests from the public, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is reopening the rulemaking record for public comments on the Agency's request for information on Exposure of Underground Miners to Diesel Exhaust.

This final rule implements the 2018 adjustment of the level of the maximum civil monetary penalties contained in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regulations pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (FCPIA of 2015), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. The 2018 adjustment multiplier of 1.02041 accounts for one year of inflation spanning the period from October 2016 through October 2017.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is publishing this rule to repeal a 2013 direct final rule and restore the former regulatory language governing service of official correspondence.

The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is publishing this final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced in its regulations, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. The Inflation Adjustment Act provides that agencies shall adjust civil monetary penalties notwithstanding Section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Additionally, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a cost-of-living formula for adjustment of the civil penalties. Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the Department's 2018 annual adjustments for inflation to its civil monetary penalties.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposes to amend the regulations regarding oil and natural gas production to reduce certain unnecessary regulatory burdens imposed under the existing regulations, while correcting errors and clarifying current requirements. Accordingly, after thoroughly reexamining the current regulations, and based on experiences from the implementation process, and BSEE policy, BSEE proposes to amend, revise, or remove current regulatory provisions that create unnecessary burdens on stakeholders while maintaining or advancing the level of safety and environmental protection.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving an amendment to the Oklahoma regulatory program (Oklahoma program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Oklahoma proposed revisions to its regulations regarding: Permit eligibility for permits with violations on lands eligible for remining; permit suspension or rescission posting locations and appeal procedures; requiring GPS coordinates for aspects of permit maps; topsoil removal distances; blasting records requirements; annual reporting requirements; temporary cessation of operations requirements; casing and sealing temporary underground openings; right of entry requirements; surface drainage associated with auger mining; correcting reference errors; updating addresses; and correcting spelling and grammatical errors. Oklahoma intended to revise its program to be no less effective than the Federal regulations and to improve operational efficiency.

We are issuing a final decision on an amendment to the Wyoming regulatory program (the “Wyoming program”) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (“SMCRA” or “the Act”). Our decision approves in part and disapproves in part the amendment. Wyoming proposes both revisions of and additions to its coal rules and regulations concerning ownership and control, adds a provision concerning variable topsoil depths during reclamation, and addresses four deficiencies that were identified by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) during the review of a previous program amendment (WY-038-FOR; Docket ID No. OSM-2009-0012). Wyoming revised its program to be consistent with the corresponding Federal regulations and SMCRA, clarify ambiguities, and improve operational efficiency.