1044                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 635

"Spoil pile" shall mean the overburden and reject coal 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.

648C. Before any operator shall hereafter engage in open pit
mining of bituminous coal within the State, he shall 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 immedi-
ately following the date of filing. Contemporaneously with and as a
part of said registration, the operator shall file with the Bureau of
Mines a 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 the amount of

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ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00) PER ACRE
BASED UPON THE NUMBER OF ACRES OF COAL WHICH THE
OPERATOR ESTIMATES WILL BE STRIPPED BY OPEN PIT
MINING, NOT TO EXCEED foUR ACRES AT EACH OPERA-
TION UNDER ONE PERMIT TO BE ISSUED FOR EACH SUCH
OPERATION BY THE DIRECTOR, PROVIDED, THAT NO BOND
SHALL BE FOR LESS THAN

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FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS ($400.00). DURING THE
STRIPPING OPERATION UNDER SUCH PERMIT, THE DI-
RECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF MINES MAY REQUIRE AN
ADDITIONAL BOND IF, IN HIS DETERMINATION, THE ORIG-
INAL BOND IS NOT SUFFICIENT, OR HE MAY REQUIRE THE
OPERATOR TO BACK FILL BEFORE STRIPPING ANY FUR-
THER AREA UNDER THE PERMIT, AND FOR faILURE OF
THE OPERATOR TO COMPLY, THE DIRECTOR MAY STOP
THE FURTHER OPERATIONS UNDER THE PERMIT
GRANTED; HOWEVER, THE ORIGINAL OR ANY ADDITIONAL
BOND REQUIRED OF THE OPERATOR MAY BE RELEASED
DURING SUCH OPERATION TO THE EXTENT THAT THE
TERMS OF THE BOND HAVE BEEN COMPLIED WITH CON-
CERNING ANY ACRE OR ACRES. THE DIRECTOR OF THE
BUREAU OF MINES SHALL REFUSE A PERMIT FOR ANY
OPERATION IF, IN HIS DETERMINATION, THE PROVISIONS
OF THIS SUB-HEADING CANNOT BE FULLY COMPLIED
WITH. Liability under such bond shall be for the duration of open
pit mining at each operation, and for a period of ten years ONE YEAR
thereafter, unless released prior thereto in a manner elsewhere pro-
vided by this sub-title. Such bond shall be signed by the operator and
a corporate surety licensed to do business in the State: Provided, how-
ever, that the operator may elect to deposit cash or United States
Government securities with the department in lieu of the surety
bond hereinafter required. The cash deposit or par value of such
securities shall be equal to the sum required for a bond and
shall be upon the same terms and conditions. The Director of the
Bureau of Mines, hereinafter called the "Director", shall, upon receipt