Data / Federal rules / 2025-21440
Backfilling and Grading
The Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office published this final rule in the Federal Register on November 28, 2025. It took effect on January 27, 2026. Comments closed on December 29, 2025.
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What the agency says
This direct final rule revises the Federal regulations to rescind an obsolete regulation that was suspended by the Secretary of the Interior in 1992 and that has been inoperative for 33 years. The regulations prescribed time and distance performance standards for the completion of rough backfilling and grading for surface mining operations.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2025-21440
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Direct final rule; request for comments
- Agency
- Interior Department; Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
- Published
- November 28, 2025
- Takes effect
- January 27, 2026
- Comments due
- December 29, 2025
- Dates
- The amendments in this direct final rule lifting the suspension of 30 CFR 816.101 and removing the section are effective January 27, 2026, unless significant adverse comments are received by December 29, 2025. If significant adverse comments are received, OSMRE will publish a timely withdrawal or issue a new final rule that responds to significant adverse comments.
- Docket
- Docket ID: OSM-2025-0025 S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 256S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 25XS501520
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 1029-AD03
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 30 CFR 816
- Topics
- Environmental protection; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Surface mining
- Pages
- 3
Other documents from the Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming Regulatory Program 2026-21835 | Final rule | Oct 26 |
| Ohio Regulatory Program 2026-21807 | Final rule | Oct 26 |
| Montana Regulatory Program 2026-17821 | Final rule | Sep 1 |
| Montana Regulatory Program 2026-17333 | Final rule | Aug 25 |
| Montana Regulatory Program 2026-17055 | Final rule | Aug 21 |
| North Dakota Regulatory Program 2026-16318 | Final rule | Aug 11 |
| Ohio Regulatory Program 2026-16136 | Final rule | Aug 7 |
| Montana Regulatory Program 2026-14245 | Final rule | Jul 15 |
Everything from the Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office · Rules on environmental protection · Rules on reporting and recordkeeping requirements · Rules on surface mining · Published in November 2025
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-24. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.