The West Virginia program, as submitted on March 3, 1980, as clarified on July 16, 1980, and as resubmitted on December 19, 1980, is conditionally approved, effective January 21, 1981. Beginning on that date and continuing until July 11, 1985, the Department of Natural Resources was deemed the regulatory authority in West Virginia for all surface coal mining and reclamation operations and all exploration operations on non-Federal and non-Indian lands. Beginning on July 11, 1985, the Department of Energy was deemed the regulatory authority pursuant to the program transfer provisions of Enrolled Committee Substitute for House Bill 1850, as signed by the Governor of West Virginia on May 3, 1985. Beginning on October 16, 1991, the Division of Environmental Protection was deemed the regulatory authority pursuant to Enrolled Committee Substitute for House Bill 217 that was signed by the Governor on October 25, 1991. On December 3, 1991, OSM found that it was not necessary to amend the State program to effect the redesignation of the regulatory authority from the Division of Energy to the Division of Environmental Protection (58 FR 42904, August 12, 1993). Beginning on April 14, 2001, the Department of Environmental Protection was deemed the regulatory authority pursuant to Enrolled Committee Substitute for House Bill 2218. The bill, which was signed by the Governor on April 30, 2001, transferred programs and redesignated the Division of Environmental Protection as the Department of Environmental Protection within the executive branch. Copies of the conditionally approved program, as amended, are available at:

(a) Office of Surface Mining, Charleston Field Office, 1027 Virginia Street East, Charleston, West Virginia 25301-2816. Telephone: (304) 347-7158.

(b) West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Mining and Reclamation, 10 McJunkin Road, Nitro, West Virginia 25143-2506. Telephone: (304) 759-0510.

[66 FR 67453, Dec. 28, 2001]