# 2026-12482: West Virginia Tweaks Online Mining Permit Rules

2026-12482, West Virginia Regulatory Program, is a Federal Register rule from Interior Department, Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office published 2026-06-22, effective 2026-07-22; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-29).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12482
- As of: 2026-06-29
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-12482
- Title: West Virginia Regulatory Program
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Interior Department; Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
- Citation: 91 FR 36984
- Published: 2026-06-22
- Effective: 2026-07-22
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-29

## In one line

West Virginia Tweaks Online Mining Permit Rules

## Summary

West Virginia’s surface mining rules just got a fresh update! The state improved how permits are filed online, updated surveys before mining, and tweaked fees for mining permits. These changes kick in on July 22, 2026, affecting miners, regulators, and anyone involved in surface coal mining, making the process smoother and clearer without extra costs.

## Abstract

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are approving two amendments to the West Virginia regulatory program (the West Virginia program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). West Virginia proposed revisions to the West Virginia Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act (WVSCMRA), codified at Title 22, Article 3, of the West Virginia Code (W. Va. Code), along with revisions to its administrative regulations promulgated in the West Virginia Code of State Rules (CSR) that relate to electronic permit filing, pre-subsidence surveys, and issuance of show cause orders, certain fees for surface mining permits and related authorizations, and other miscellaneous topics. We tentatively approved the provisions relating to permitting fees through an interim rule we promulgated on June 29, 2011, which became effective on July 14, 2011. With this rule, our approval of those provisions is now final.

## Effects PRIA read

- Higher Permit and Filing Fees: cost, high. Beginning July 22, 2026, West Virginia increases or establishes several fixed permit-related filing fees: new surface mining permit applications increase from $1,000 to $3,500; permit renewals increase from $2,000 to $3,000; a notice of intent to prospect filing fee is $2,000; significant permit re…
- Electronic Permit Filing and Public Access: benefit, medium. Effective July 22, 2026, West Virginia allows applicants to submit ownership/control and violation information either in the permit application or in an electronic database accessible to the agency if updated within three months, requires maps and technical data be accepted in formats prescribed by…
- Pre-subsidence Surveys Kept Confidential: benefit, low. Starting July 22, 2026, West Virginia's rule provides that pre-subsidence surveys of non-commercial buildings or residential dwellings and associated structures will be confidential and used only to evaluate damage related to subsidence, and WVDEP must develop a procedure to assure those surveys re…
- Longer Inactive Status With Bond Requirement: mixed, medium. As of July 22, 2026, WVDEP may grant inactive status for coal refuse sites for periods exceeding the 10-year maximum if the permittee furnishes and maintains a bond equal to the estimated actual reclamation cost (as determined by WVDEP) that remains in effect for the life of the operation; WVDEP mu…
- Email Notice for Show Cause Orders: benefit, low. Effective July 22, 2026, WVDEP must provide email notification when it issues show cause orders to members of the public who have subscribed to WVDEP's email notification service and to persons whose citizen complaints resulted in enforcement actions that led to a show cause order.

## 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
- [2026-12482 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/22/2026-12482/west-virginia-regulatory-program)
- [2026-12482 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-22/pdf/2026-12482.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-12475, Application for Authorization To Transmit Electric Energy to a Foreign Country](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12475)
- [Next: 2026-12488, Safety Zone; Toms River, Beachwood, NJ](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12488)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12482 (as of 2026-06-29).