On April 18, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law two bills – AB 1142 (Gray) and SB 209 (Pavley) – that together provide the most significant update to the California Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) in 25 years. Operators and lead agencies must be aware of these new changes and start planning for their implementation. JMBM’s lawyers have prepared the following concerning the new legislation: