204                                LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 144

sources of Maryland. The plans, methods of procedure, and
practical guidelines shall be submitted to the proper regulatory
agency.

661.    License Required.

(a)    It is unlawful for any person to. proceed to mine coal by the
open pit mining method as an operator within this State without
first obtaining a license from the Bureau of Mines. Applications for
licensure as open pit mining operators shall be made in writing
to the Bureau, upon forms prepared and furnished by the Bureau.
They shall contain such information as to the applicant, or when
the application is made by a corporation, partnership or association
as to its officers, directors and principal owners, as the Bureau re-
quires. The application for licensure shall be accompanied by a
fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00). It is the duty of all persons
licensed as open pit mining operators to renew the license annually,
and to pay for each such license renewal the sum of ten dollars
($10.00). The application for renewal of a license as an open pit
mining operator shall be made annually on or before January 1 of
the next succeeding year.

(b)    Penalty. Any person who mines coal by the open pit mining
method as an operator without having applied for and received
a license as herein provided is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon
conviction he shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than five
thousand dollars ($5,000.00) and not exceeding ten thousand dollars
($10,000.00), or to undergo imprisonment not exceeding six months,
or both fine and imprisonment. The fine shall be payable to the
Bituminous Coal Open Pit Mining Reclamation Fund.

(c)    The Bureau shall investigate every application for a license
or for a renewal, and it shall not issue any new open pit mining
operator's license or renew any existing open pit mining operator's
license to any person or operator if it finds that the applicant for
licensure or renewal has failed to correct a violation of the rules
and regulations established under this subheading or to comply with
any of the provisions of this subheading. If the applicant is a corpo-
ration, partnership, or association, the Bureau shall not issue such
license or renewal if it finds that any officer or director or principal
owner of such corporation, partnership or association, has previously
failed and continues to fail to comply with any of the provisions
of this subheading, or if any such officer or director or principal
owner is or has been an officer or director or principal owner of
any other corporation, partnership, or association, which has pre-
viously failed and continues to fail to comply with any of the pro-
visions of this subheading.

662.    Permits Required.

(a)    Before any person licensed as an open pit mining operator
proceeds to mine coal by the open pit method, he shall apply to the
Bureau of Mines on a form prepared and furnished by the Bureau
for a permit for each separate operation, which permit when issued
is valid until the operation is completed or abandoned, unless it is
sooner suspended by the Director of Bureau of Mines.

(b)    As a part of each application for a permit, the operator
shall furnish, in duplicate, a U. S. Geological Survey quadrangle
sheet, 7½ minute series (topographic) in a manner satisfactory to