54 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 16

"Tract" shall mean a single parcel of land or two or more
contiguous parcels of land with common ownership.

"Operator" shall mean a person, firm, corporation or
partnership engaged in open pit mining, as a principal as
distinguished from an agent or independent contractor, and,
who is or becomes the owner of such coal or fire clay as a
result of such mining.

"Landowner" shall mean the person, firm, corporation or
partnership, or the persons, firms, corporations or partner-
ships in whom the legal title to the land is vested.

"Overburden" shall mean the strata or material over-
lying a bituminous coal or fire clay deposit in its natural
state and shall mean such material before or after its re-
moval by open pit mining.

"Spoil pile" shall mean the overburden and reject coal or
fire clay as it is piled or deposited in open pit mining.

"Area of land affected" shall mean the area of land from
which the overburden is removed.

180. Before any operator shall hereafter engage in open
pit mining of bituminous coal or fire clay within the State,
he shall pay a filing fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100. 00)
and register with the Bureau of Mines of this State by
filing a certificate, on a form to be provided by the Bureau,
and giving information sufficient to identify the operator,
and an estimate of the number of acres of land that the
operator will affect by open pit mining during one year
immediately following the date of filing. The operator shall
attach to such certificate a map of the operation certified
by a registered professional engineer, showing the boundary
lines of the tract or tracts, the access to the operation from
the nearest public highway, the area of land affected by open
pit mining, and the proposed plans in connection therewith.
Contemporaneously with and as a part of said registration,
the operator shall file with the Bureau of Mines a separate
surety bond on a form to be prescribed and furnished by
the Bureau, payable to the State and conditioned that the
operator shall faithfully perform all of the requirements of
this sub-title. The bond shall be in an amount to be specified
by the Director of the Bureau of Mines but in no event shall
be less than Five Thousand Dollars ($5, 000. 00) nor more
than Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20, 000. 00. )

181. Within thirty (30) days after starting the removal
of overburden at an operation for the removal of coal or
fire clay by open pit mining, the operator shall file an oper-
ation report with the Bureau of Mines on a form to be
prescribed and furnished by the Director, giving the follow-