# 2026-16318: North Dakota mines get paperwork shuffle and timelines.

2026-16318, North Dakota Regulatory Program, is a Federal Register rule from Interior Department, Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office published 2026-08-11, effective 2026-09-10; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16318
- As of: 2026-08-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-16318
- Title: North Dakota Regulatory Program
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Interior Department; Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Office
- Citation: 91 FR 51584
- Published: 2026-08-11
- Effective: 2026-09-10
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-08-18

## In one line

North Dakota mines get paperwork shuffle and timelines.

## Summary

North Dakota is updating its rules for surface mining to make things clearer and more efficient. These changes include new timelines for permits, creating a new Environmental Quality department, and shifting some duties to a new Water Resources department. The updates take effect on September 10, 2026, and affect anyone involved in mining permits and environmental oversight in the state.

## Abstract

We, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), are approving an amendment to the North Dakota regulatory program under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). North Dakota has made changes to the North Dakota Century Code and North Dakota Administrative Code resulting from actions initiated during both the 2017 and 2021 Legislative Sessions. Changes include altering the time required for scheduling and applying for select permit related actions, creation of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and a transfer of select responsibilities from the Department of Health, establishment of the Department of Water Resources, and the powers and duties of that agency and the state engineer.

## Effects PRIA read

- Permit Renewals Due Earlier: cost, low. If you hold a North Dakota mining permit, you must file your permit renewal at least 180 days before the permit expires instead of the prior 120-day requirement. This change is effective September 10, 2026.
- More Time to Schedule Informal Conferences: benefit, low. When you request an informal conference related to a mining permit in North Dakota, the commission may now schedule it within 45 days of your request instead of 30 days. This change is effective September 10, 2026.
- State Agency Duties Reassigned: mixed, low. North Dakota created a Department of Environmental Quality and a Department of Water Resources and transferred certain duties from the Department of Health and the state engineer to those new agencies. These administrative transfers take effect September 10, 2026 and change which state offices are…

## 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
- [2026-16136](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16136): Ohio Regulatory Program, 2026-08-07
- [2026-14244](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14244): Montana Regulatory Program, 2026-07-15

## Sources
- [2026-16318 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/11/2026-16318/north-dakota-regulatory-program)
- [2026-16318 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-11/pdf/2026-16318.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-16313, Mandatory Electronic Filing (e-Filing)](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16313)
- [Next: 2026-16319, Regulatory Changes Required by the Energy Security and Lightering Independence…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16319)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16318 (as of 2026-08-18).