1348                           LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 618

Sec. 3 4. And be it further enacted, That all laws or parts of laws,
public general or public local, inconsistent with the provisions of this
Act are hereby repealed to the extent of any such inconsistency.

Sec. 4 5. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
on July 1, 1963.

Approved April 30, 1963.

CHAPTER 618
(House Bill 494)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Sections 659 and
665(b) of Article 66C of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1962
Supplement) title "Natural Resources," subtitle "Mining," sub-
heading "Strip Mining," to change the amount of bond required
to be posted by strip mining operators in Garrett County, and to
prevent construction of ponds in lieu of backfilling in Garrett
County AND PROVIDING THAT NO OPERATOR WHO HAS
PREVIOUSLY DEFAULTED ON PAYMENT OF LABOR,
ROYALTIES OR BOND SHALL BE PERMITTED TO STRIP
MINE IN MARYLAND.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Sections 659 and 665(b) of Article 66C of the Annotated Code
of Maryland (1962 Supplement) title "Natural Resources," subtitle
"Mining," subheading "Strip Mining," be and they are hereby re-
pealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

659.

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 the area his operations will affect. 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 subheading.
The bond shall be in the amount of three hundred dollars ($300.00)
per acre, except in Garrett County where the amount of the bond
shall be five hundred dollars ($500.) per acre, based upon the number
of acres of coal which the operator estimates will be stripped by
open pit mining, provided, that no bond shall be for less than one
thousand two hundred dollars ($1,200.00), except in Garrett County
where the bond shall be for not less than two thousand dollars
($2,000.00). NO OPERATOR SHALL BE PERMITTED TO STRIP
ANY AREA IN THIS STATE BY OPEN PIT MINING WHO HAS
PREVIOUSLY FORFEITED ANY BOND POSTED PURSUANT
TO STRIPPING ACTIVITIES OR WHO HAS FAILED TO PAY
ROYALITIES OR WAGES DUE DURING SUCH ACTIVI-
TIES. During the stripping operation under any such permit the
operator shall backfill so that the total area of land affected does