No permit may be issued for a mining operation proposed on unsuitable land. Land is unsuitable if the following conditions cannot be satisfactorily mitigated:

(1) Reclamation of the affected land pursuant to the requirements of this chapter is not physically or economically feasible;

(2) Substantial disposition of sediment in stream or lake beds, landslides, or water pollution cannot feasibly be prevented;

(3) The land to be affected by a proposed mining operation includes land that is special, exceptional, critical, or unique as defined in § 45-6B-33.3 and satisfactory mitigation is not possible;

(4) The proposed mining operation will result in the loss or reduction of long–range productivity of aquifer, public and domestic water wells, watershed lands, aquifer recharge areas, or significant agricultural areas;

(5) The biological productivity of the land is such that the loss would jeopardize threatened or endangered species of wildlife indigenous to the area; or

(6) The board finds that any probable adverse socioeconomic impacts of the proposed mining operation outweigh the probable beneficial impacts of the operation.

Source: SL 1982, ch 305, § 33; SL 1987, ch 320, § 1; SL 1989, ch 381, § 1.