SUBCHAPTER T -- PROGRAMS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SURFACE MINING OPERATIONS WITHIN
     EACH STATE   
PART 915 -- IOWA

Sec.
915.1          Scope
915.10         State regulatory program approval
915.15         Approval of Iowa regulatory program amendments
915.16         Required program amendments
915.20         Approval of Iowa abandoned mine land reclamation plan

AUTHORITY: 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.

[For the list of Final Rules affecting these sections, as published in the Federal Register, see 
"Regulation History - Changes to the Regulations Parts 900-955, 3/13/79 - 6/30/00".]

30 CFR Sec. 915.1   Scope.  

    This part contains all rules applicable only within Iowa which have been adopted under the Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.  

[46 FR 5891, Jan. 21, 1981]  

30 CFR Sec. 915.10  State regulatory program approval.  

    The Secretary approved the Iowa regulatory program, as submitted February 28, 1980, and amended and clarified
on June 11, 1980, and December 15, 1980, effective April 10, 1981. Copies of the approved program are available
at:  

    (a) Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation, Henry A. Wallace
Building, E. 9th and Grand Streets, Des Moines, IA 50319.  

    (b) Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Mid-Continent Regional Coordinating Center, Alton
Federal Building, 501 Belle Street, Alton, IL 62002.  

[48 FR 245, Jan. 4, 1983, as amended at 51 FR 35633, Oct. 7, 1986; 59 FR 17932, Apr. 15, 1994; 64 FR 20164,
20166, Apr. 26, 1999]  

[EFFECTIVE DATE NOTE: 64 FR 20164, 20166, Apr. 26, 1999, revised this section, effective Apr. 26, 1999.] 

30 CFR Sec. 915.15  Approval of Iowa regulatory program amendments.  

    The following is a list of the dates amendments were submitted to OSM, the dates when the Director's decision
approving all, or portions of these amendments, were published in the Federal Register and the State citations or a
brief description of each amendment. The amendments in this table are listed in order of the date of final publication
in the Federal Register.  

______________________________________________________________________________

Original amendment  Date of final       Citation/description
  submission date          Publication

Oct. 1, 1981        May 26, 1982        IAC 780-4.6(8), 4.35(13).

June 3, 1982        Sept. 8, 1982       IC 83-14.2, .7(a).

Sept. 28, 1982      Jan. 4, 1983        IAC 4.311(2); 4.322(13); 4.522(11); 4.523(15), (38), (60); 
                                4.55(1), (5).

May 9, 1984         Dec. 7, 1984        IAC 4.523(63), 4.322(14).

Jan. 31, 1985       May 24, 1985        IAC 780-4.6(83), .42(1)(83).

July 25 and 26, 1985     May 9, 1986         IAC 780-4.6(1), (4), .35(1), (6), .37(2), .321(8), .361(9);
                               and 780-Chapter 26.

June 16, 1986       Oct. 7, 1986        Iowa Senate File 2175: State Government Reorganization Bill.

Aug. 12, 1986       Dec. 11, 1986       IAC 4.522(15)c, g.

April 28, 1987      Oct. 7, 1987        I.C. 83.7.

June 9, 1988        Dec. 9, 1988        I.C. 83.26.

Dec. 26, 1990       Nov. 6, 1991        IAC 27-40.1 through .7, .11, .12, .13, .21, .22, .23,
                               .30 through .39, .41, .51, .61 through .68, .71 through .74,
                               .81, .82, .91 through .99.

Nov. 23, 1992       Feb. 8, 1994        IAC 27-40.1, .3 through .7, .11, .12, .13, .21, .22, .23,
                               .30 through .39, .41, .51, .61 through .68, .71, .73, .74,
                               .75, .81, .82, .92.

April 13, 1994      April 6, 1995       IAC 27-40.3(207), .4(9), .31(14), .32(207), .51(7), .63(20), 
                               .74(3), .75(2).

Dec. 4, 1996        April 7, 1997       IAC 40.4(10); .38 (2) and (3); 64 (6) through (9).

Sept. 28, 1998      Nov. 6, 1999        Revegetation Success Guidelines dated April 1999
                               (partial approval).
________________________________________________________________________________

[49 FR 47835, Dec. 7, 1984 and 50 FR 21442, May 24, 1985, as amended at 51 FR 17178, May 9, 1986; 51 FR
35633, Oct. 7, 1986; 51 FR 44600, Dec. 11, 1986; 52 FR 37453, Oct. 7, 1987; 53 FR 49657, Dec. 9, 1988; 56 FR
56594, Nov. 6, 1991; 59 FR 5722, Feb. 8, 1994; 60 FR 17464, April 6, 1995; 62 FR 9932, 9940, March 5, 1997; 62
FR 16490, 16492, April 7, 1997; 64 FR 66385, 66390, Nov. 26, 1999]  

[EFFECTIVE DATE NOTE: 64 FR 66385, 66390, Nov. 26, 1999, added an entry to the table, effective Nov. 26,
1999.] 

30 CFR Sec. 915.16  Required program amendments.  

    Pursuant to 30 CFR 732.17(f)(1), Iowa is required to submit to OSM by the specified date the following written,
proposed program amendment, or a description of an amendment to be proposed that meets the requirements of
SMCRA and 30 CFR Chapter VII and a timetable for enactment that is consistent with Iowa's established
administrative or legislative procedures.  

    (a) Before Iowa allows the use of reference areas for determining success of productivity on prime farmland as
proposed at section III, part F and section IV, part A.2 of its revegetation success guidelines, Iowa must submit for
OSM approval evidence that the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service concurs with these provisions.  

    (b) By May 25, 2000, Iowa must either remove the guidelines for normal husbandry practices from section III,
part H of its April 1999 revegetation success guidelines or submit for OSM approval documentation that
demonstrates each practice is a normal husbandry practice within the region for unmined lands having land uses
similar to the approved postmining land uses of areas disturbed by mining in Iowa.  

    ( c) By May 25, 2000, Iowa must either remove section IV, part G, which contains the requirements and methods
for control area climatic adjustments to the prime farmland average yields provided in the County Soil Map Unit
Yield Data tables, from its April 1999 revegetation success guidelines or submit for OSM approval evidence that the
U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service concurs with this provision.  

    (d) By May 25, 2000, Iowa must amend its revegetation success guidelines at:  

    (1) Section IV, part E by either adding planting arrangement provisions for recreational, wildlife, and forested
lands and obtaining program-wide concurrence for the provisions from the State agencies responsible for the
administration of forestry and wildlife programs or adding a provision that requires permit-specific concurrence for
minimum planting arrangements from the State agencies responsible for the administration of forestry and wildlife
programs.  

    (2) Section IV, part E by either obtaining program-wide concurrence for its minimum stocking provisions or
adding a provision that requires permit-specific concurrence for minimum stocking from the State agencies
responsible for the administration of forestry and wildlife programs.  

    (e) By May 25, 2000, Iowa must add a provision to section V, Part A.2 of its revegetation success guidelines that
specifies the standard method that permittees are to use for obtaining the dry weight of test plot grain samples.  

[56 FR 56594, Nov. 6, 1991; 59 FR 5723, Feb. 8, 1994; 60 FR 17464, Apr. 6, 1995; 64 FR 66385, 66391, Nov. 26,
1999]  

[EFFECTIVE DATE NOTE: 64 FR 66385, 66391, Nov. 26, 1999, added paragraphs (a) through (e), effective Nov.
26, 1999.] 

30 CFR Sec. 915.20  Approval of Iowa abandoned mine land reclamation plan.  

    The Secretary approved the Iowa abandoned mine land reclamation plan, as submitted on December 17, 1982,
effective March 28, 1983. Copies of the approved plan are available at:  

    (a) Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation, Henry A. Wallace
Building, E. 9th and Grand Streets, Des Moines, IA 50319.  

    (b) Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Mid-Continent Regional Coordinating Center, Alton
Federal Building, 501 Belle Street, Alton, IL 62002.  

[51 FR 35633, Oct. 7, 1986; 59 FR 17932, Apr. 15, 1994; 64 FR 20164, 20167, Apr. 26, 1999]  

[EFFECTIVE DATE NOTE: 64 FR 20164, 20167, Apr. 26, 1999, revised this section, effective Apr. 26, 1999.]