# 2026-00577: Texas Coal Mining Goes Gender-Neutral in Rule Overhaul

2026-00577, Texas Regulatory Program, is a Federal Register rule from Interior Department, Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office published 2026-01-14, effective 2026-02-13 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00577
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-00577
- Title: Texas Regulatory Program
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Interior Department; Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
- Citation: 91 FR 1389
- Published: 2026-01-14
- Effective: 2026-02-13
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Texas Coal Mining Goes Gender-Neutral in Rule Overhaul

## Summary

Texas is updating its surface mining rules to make them clearer, more modern, and fairer by using gender-neutral language and fixing outdated terms. These changes affect anyone involved in surface coal mining in Texas and take effect on February 13, 2026. No big costs or delays are expected—just smoother, smarter rules to keep mining safe and fair.

## Abstract

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are approving an amendment to the Texas regulatory program under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Texas proposes administrative revisions to its regulations to update, correct, and clarify existing rules. These proposals include changing language to gender neutral, updating terms and definitions for consistency with existing Federal and State regulations, and correcting and updating references.

## Effects PRIA read

- Permit Fee Basis Clarified: benefit, low. If you hold a surface coal mining permit in Texas, the annual permit fee is now tied to the number of acres identified in the permit and approved by the Railroad Commission of Texas. The change aligns Texas rules with Federal regulations that allow a regulatory authority to develop procedures for h…
- Shorter Permit Renewal Deadline: cost, low. If you apply to renew a Texas surface coal mining permit, the deadline for receipt of renewal materials was shortened from 180 days to 120 days. This aligns the State deadline with the Federal counterpart.
- Must Notify When Ceasing Operations: cost, low. Texas added a requirement that permittees must notify the commission of the intent to permanently cease and abandon mining operations. The requirement appears in multiple sections of the Texas rules related to cessation of operations.
- Applicants Must List Other Permit Dates: cost, low. People applying for Texas surface coal mining permits must now provide the permit expiration date of all other licenses and permits as part of their applications (new requirement added to 16 TAC sec. 12.121(4) and 12.161(4)).
- Updated Water Testing Standard: cost, low. Texas updated its reference for the American Public Health Association's Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater from the 15th edition to the 23rd edition. This changes which published testing methods are referenced in the regulations.
- Hydrologic Consequences Rule Added: benefit, low. Texas added a Probable Hydrologic Consequences (PHC) subsection that closely copies the Federal requirement at 30 CFR 780.21(b)(3), clarifying how PHC determinations should be made for permit applications. The addition is intended to align State rules with the Federal counterpart.

## Related documents

- [2025-21443](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21443): Rescission of Fee Rates, 2025-11-28
- [2026-17821](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17821): Montana Regulatory Program, 2026-09-01
- [2026-17333](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17333): Montana Regulatory Program, 2026-08-25
- [2026-17055](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17055): Montana Regulatory Program, 2026-08-21
- [2026-16318](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16318): North Dakota Regulatory Program, 2026-08-11
- [2026-16136](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16136): Ohio Regulatory Program, 2026-08-07

## Sources
- [2026-00577 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00577/texas-regulatory-program)
- [2026-00577 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-01-14/pdf/2026-00577.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-00566, Pipeline Safety: Class Location Change Requirements](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00566)
- [Next: 2026-00578, Hazardous Materials: Eliminating Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens on Fuel Transpo…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00578)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00577 (as of 2026-06-11).