HARRY HUGHES, Governor

1133

the inspector certifies it has been done in the manner
prescribed by law, the Director of the Bureau shall release
the bond which was filed for that portion of the operation
in its full amount less $50 per acre, which the Director
shall retain until the planting is completed and certified
by the State forester as done in a workmanlike manner. The
director then shall release the bond in the remaining amount
of $50 per acre.] BEFORE COMMENCING OPERATION OF A DEEP
MINE, A PERMIT MUST BE OBTAINED AND A BOND FILED AS REQUIRED
BY SUBTITLE 5A OF THIS TITLE.

7-510.

[(a) The Committee shall establish a revegetation bond
for each open-pit mining operation at the time of approval
of the mining and reclamation plan. The amount of the bond
shall be based on the estimated revegetation cost for the
area affected by the operation. The bond shall be cash or
negotiable securities, or a surety or performance bond and
may not be less than $50 per acre. The bond shall be
deposited by the operator with the Bureau. On receipt of any
deposit, the director immediately shall place it with the
State Treasurer, who shall hold the deposit in the name of
the State, in trust, for the purpose for which the deposit
is made. When the Committee approves the mining and
reclamation final report, including the planting report
filed under the provisions of § 7-511, the Director of the
Bureau shall release the bond in accordance with the
provisions set forth in this subtitle. A certificate of
deposit is acceptable instead of a corporate surety if the
certificate of deposit is in an amount equivalent to the
required bond, issued by a bank in the State and accompanied
by the written agreement of the bank to pay on demand to the
State in the event of forfeiture.]

[(b)] (A) To encourage optimum revegetation, the
committee may recommend to the [state] DEPARTMENT that it
contribute up to 50 percent of the cost of fertilizer, lime,
and seed required by an approved mining and reclamation
plan.

[(c)] (B) The [director of the bureau] DEPARTMENT may
receive funds from any source and, on approval of the
Committee, expend the funds for reclamation and revegetation
of any strip-mined area.

7-511.

(A) WITHIN 2 WEEKS AFTER ANY AFFECTED AREA IS
BACKFILLED AND REGRADED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBTITLE AND IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPROVED RECLAMATION PLAN, THE OPERATOR
SHALL SUBMIT A BACKFILLING REPORT ON A FORM FURNISHED BY THE
DEPARTMENT. THE REPORT SHALL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION: THE NUMBER OF ACRES AFFECTED ON THE PERMIT; THE
NUMBER OF ACRES BACKFILLED FOR THIS REPORT; AND THE NUMBER
OF BACKFILLED ACRES PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. BASED UPON
INSPECTION AND APPROVAL BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THIS REPORT AND