General Reclamation Requirements

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is confirming the effective date of March 30, 2026, for the direct final rule entitled, "General Reclamation Requirements," which was published in the Federal Register on November 28, 2025. The direct final rule revised the Federal regulations to rescind obsolete language requiring compliance with the regulations when funding reclamation projects with prior balance replacement funds, which are moneys from the United States Treasury's General Fund that replaced State or Tribal share funds that were allocated before October 1, 2007, but were never appropriated by Congress. During the comment period, OSM received comments that required further review and consideration to determine whether the comments warranted a response, or the withdrawal or modification of the final rule. After further review and consideration, OSM determined that these comments were not significant adverse comments and is confirming the effective date.