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Ohio Regulatory Program
Plain English Summary
Ohio has made changes to its mining regulations that affect how bonding works for mining operations. These changes include options for companies to provide full-cost performance securities and updates to funding for abandoned mine land, permitting standards, and other related areas. The Office of Surface Mining has approved these amendments, which will help address previous issues with bonding. Insurance agents should stay informed about these changes as they may impact mining clients and their insurance needs.
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The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), is approving, in part, two amendments to the Ohio regulatory program (the Ohio program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). As proposed by Ohio, the amendment involves statutory and regulatory changes to its bonding program (i.e., revising Ohio's alternative bonding system and providing the option for an applicant to post full-cost performance securities) and also includes statutory and regulatory changes pertaining to other subjects, such as abandoned mine land program funding, permitting standards, valid existing rights, remining, blasting, and topsoil handling. Ohio submitted this amendment, in part, to satisfy a program condition related to bonding inadequacies. We are removing this program condition.