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S.B. 72

             1     

COAL MINING AND RECLAMATION

             2     
AMENDMENTS

             3     
2002 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Sponsor: Mike Dmitrich

             6      This act modifies the Mines and Mining Code to provide that the Division of Oil, Gas and
             7      Mining pay certain costs relating to the filing of a surface coal mining and reclamation
             8      application and plan, and providing for the reimbursement of certain costs from the coal
             9      operator to the division.
             10      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             11      AMENDS:
             12          40-10-10, as last amended by Chapter 219, Laws of Utah 1994
             13      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             14          Section 1. Section 40-10-10 is amended to read:
             15           40-10-10. Permit application fee -- Submission of application and reclamation plan
             16      -- Determinations, tests, and samplings -- Filing of application -- Insurance required --
             17      Blasting plan.
             18          (1) Each application for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit under the provisions
             19      of this chapter shall be accompanied by a fee as determined by the division[, but]. The fee
             20      specified in this Subsection (1) may not [to] exceed the cost [of] by the division to process and
             21      review the application[, review, and processing].
             22          (2) (a) The permit application and the reclamation plan submitted as part of a permit
             23      application shall be submitted in the manner, form, and with the content specified by the division
             24      in [the] its rules, and shall include the [following: (a) The] names and addresses of:
             25          (i) the permit applicant;
             26          (ii) every legal owner of record of the [property (]surface and mineral[)] estate to be
             27      mined;


             28          (iii) the holders, of record, of any leasehold interest in the property;
             29          (iv) any purchaser, of record, of the property under a real estate contract;
             30          (v) the operator, if he is a person different from the applicant; and
             31          (vi) [if any of these are business entities other than a single proprietor,] the names and
             32      addresses of the principals, officers, and resident agent for service of process, if any of these are
             33      business entities other than a single proprietor.
             34          (b) [An] (i) A permit application shall include:
             35          (A) an accurate map or plan, to an appropriate scale, clearly showing the land to be
             36      affected as of the date of the application, and the area of land within the permit area upon which
             37      the applicant has the legal right to enter and commence surface mining operations[,]; and
             38          (B) a statement of those documents upon which the applicant bases his legal right to enter
             39      and commence surface mining operations on the area affected, and whether that right is the subject
             40      of pending court litigation[; but this].
             41          (ii) This chapter may not be construed as vesting in the division the jurisdiction to
             42      adjudicate property title disputes.
             43          (c) (i) A permit application shall also include a:
             44          (A) determination of the probable hydrologic consequences of the mining and reclamation
             45      operations, both on and off the mine site with respect to the hydrologic regime[,];
             46          (B) determination of the quantity and quality of water in surface and groundwater systems,
             47      including the dissolved and suspended solids under seasonal flow conditions[,]; and [the]
             48          (C) collection of sufficient data for the mine site and surrounding areas so that an
             49      assessment can be made by the division of the probable cumulative impacts of all anticipated
             50      mining in the area upon the hydrology of the area and, particularly, upon water availability[; but
             51      this].
             52          (ii) The determination required under Subsection (2)(c)(i) shall not be required until [such
             53      time as] the hydrologic information on the general area prior to mining is made available from an
             54      appropriate federal or state agency.
             55          (iii) The permit shall not be approved until [this] the information required under this
             56      section is available and is incorporated into the application.
             57          (d) (i) A [statement of] permit application will also include the following information:
             58          (A) the result of test borings or core samplings from the permit area, including logs of the


             59      drill holes;
             60          (B) the thickness of the coal seam found;
             61          (C) an analysis of the chemical properties of [such] the coal;
             62          (D) the sulfur content of any coal seam;
             63          (E) chemical analysis of potentially acid or toxic-forming sections of the overburden; and
             64          (F) chemical analysis of the stratum lying immediately underneath the coal to be mined[,
             65      except that the provisions].
             66          (ii) Application requirements of this Subsection (2) may be waived by the division [with
             67      respect to the specific application by] if there is a written determination that these requirements
             68      are unnecessary.
             69          [(3) If the division finds that the probable total annual production at all locations of any
             70      coal surface mining operator will not exceed 100,000 tons, the determination of probable
             71      hydrologic consequences required by Subsection (2)(c) and the statement of the result of test
             72      borings or core samplings required by Subsection (2)(d) shall, upon the written request of the
             73      operator, be performed by a qualified public or private laboratory designated by the division; and
             74      the cost of the preparation of this determination and statement shall be assumed by the division.]
             75          (3) (a) If the division finds that the probable total annual production at all locations of a
             76      coal surface mining operator will not exceed 300,000 tons, and if funding is available under the
             77      Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, 30 U.S.C. Sec. 1201 et seq., the cost of the
             78      following activities shall be paid by the division, upon the written request of the operator in
             79      connection with a permit application:
             80          (i) the determination of probable hydrologic consequences required by Subsection (2)(c),
             81      including the engineering analyses and designs necessary for the determination;
             82          (ii) the development of cross-section maps and plans of the land to be affected, including
             83      the area to be mined;
             84          (iii) the geologic drilling and statement of results of test borings and core samplings
             85      required by Subsection(2)(d);
             86          (iv) the collection of archaeological and historical information required by the division,
             87      and the preparation of those plans;
             88          (v) preblast surveys required by Subsection 40-10-17 (2)(o); and
             89          (vi) the collection of site-specific resource information and production of protection and


             90      enhancement plans for fish and wildlife habitats and other environmental values required by the
             91      division under this act.
             92          (b) The activities specified in Subsection (3)(a) shall be performed by a qualified public
             93      or private laboratory or other qualified public or private entity designated by the division.
             94          (c) A coal operator who has received assistance pursuant to this Subsection (3) shall
             95      reimburse the division for the cost of the services rendered, if the division finds that the operator's
             96      actual and attributed annual production of coal for all locations exceeds 300,000 tons during the
             97      12 months immediately following the date on which the operator is issued the surface coal mining
             98      and reclamation permit.
             99          (4) (a) Information pertaining to coal seams, test borings, core samplings, or soil samples
             100      or other equivalent information, as required by this section, shall be made available to [any] a
             101      person [with an] whose interest [which] is, or may be, adversely affected[; but information].
             102          (b) Information which pertains only to the analysis of the chemical and physical properties
             103      of the coal [(excepting], except information regarding any mineral or elemental content which is
             104      potentially toxic to the environment[)], shall be kept confidential and not made a matter of public
             105      record.
             106          (5) [Each] An applicant for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit shall file a copy
             107      of the application [for public inspection] with the county clerk of the county, or an appropriate
             108      public office approved by the division where the mining is proposed to occur, except for [that]
             109      information pertaining to the coal seam itself.
             110          (6) [Each] (a) An applicant for a permit shall be required to submit to the division as part
             111      of the permit application a certificate issued by an insurance company, authorized to do business
             112      in the state, certifying that the applicant has a public liability insurance policy in force for the
             113      surface mining and reclamation operation for which the permit is sought, or evidence that the
             114      applicant has satisfied other state or federal self-insurance requirements.
             115          (b) The policy shall:
             116          (i) provide for personal injury and property damage protection in an amount adequate to
             117      compensate any persons damaged as a result of surface coal mining and reclamation operations,
             118      including the use of explosives, and entitled to compensation under the applicable provisions of
             119      state law[. The policy shall]; and
             120          (ii) be maintained in full force and effect during the terms of the permit or any renewal,


             121      including the length of all reclamation operations.
             122          (7) [Each] An applicant for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit shall submit to
             123      the division, as part of the permit application, a blasting plan which shall outline the procedures
             124      and standards by which the operator will meet the provisions of Subsection 40-10-17 (2)(o).




Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-30-02 1:58 PM


A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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