(1) The cabinet is authorized to expend moneys from the fund for the emergency restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of adverse effects of coal mining practices, on eligible lands, if the cabinet makes finding of fact that:
(a) An emergency exists constituting a danger to the public health, safety, or general welfare; and

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 350.585

  • Action: includes all proceedings in any court of this state. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Cabinet: means the Energy and Environment Cabinet. See Kentucky Statutes 350.010
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Federal: refers to the United States. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Owner: when applied to any animal, means any person having a property interest in such animal. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, society, joint stock company, firm, company, or other business organization and shall also include any agency, unit, or instrumentality of federal, state, or local government including any publicly-owned utility or publicly-owned corporation of federal, state, or local government. See Kentucky Statutes 350.010
  • Reclamation: means the reconditioning of the area affected by surface coal mining operations under a plan approved by the cabinet. See Kentucky Statutes 350.010
  • Secretary: means the secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet. See Kentucky Statutes 350.010

(b) No other person or agency will act expeditiously to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent the adverse effects of coal mining practices.
(2) The cabinet, its agents, employees, and contractors shall have the right to enter upon any land where the emergency exists and any other land to have access to the land where the emergency exists to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent the adverse effects of coal mining practices and to do all things necessary or expedient to protect the public health, safety, or general welfare. Such entry shall be construed as an exercise of the police power and shall not be construed as an act of condemnation of property nor of trespass thereof. The moneys expended for such work and the benefits accruing to any such premises so entered upon shall be chargeable against such land and shall mitigate or offset any claim in or any action brought by any owner of any interest in such premises for any alleged damages by virtue of such entry. Provided, however, that this provision is not intended to create new rights of action or eliminate existing immunities.
History: Created 1980 Ky. Acts ch. 62, sec. 25.
Legislative Research Commission Note. The provisions of this section became operative on May 18, 1982, when the conditional approval granted by the United States Secretary of the Interior appeared in the Federal Register.