(1) There is established in the General Fund of the State Treasury an account to be known as the Geology and Mineral Industries Account. All moneys received by the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries shall be paid over to the State Treasurer and by the State Treasurer deposited in the General Fund to the credit of the account. All moneys within the account are continuously appropriated for the use of the department in carrying out its lawful functions.

Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 516.070

  • Department: means the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries established pursuant to ORS § 516. See Oregon Statutes 516.010
  • Geology: means the study of the earth, and in particular the study of the origin, history and topographic form of rocks, ores and minerals, either under the ground or upon the surface, and their alteration by surface agencies, such as wind, water, ice and other agencies, and the economics of their use. See Oregon Statutes 516.010
  • Mineral: includes any and all mineral products, metallic and nonmetallic, solid, liquid or gaseous, and mineral waters of all kinds. See Oregon Statutes 516.010
  • Mineral industries: includes all enterprises engaged in developing and exploiting the natural substances of the earth. See Oregon Statutes 516.010
  • State Treasury: includes those financial assets the lawful custody of which are vested in the State Treasurer and the office of the State Treasurer relating to the custody of those financial assets. See Oregon Statutes 174.100

(2) The Federal Locatable Mineral Royalties Subaccount is established within the Geology and Mineral Industries Account. Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, all moneys received from the federal government by the State of Oregon as the state’s distributive share of the amounts collected for royalties for locatable minerals shall be credited to the subaccount. All moneys in the Federal Locatable Mineral Royalties Subaccount are continuously appropriated to the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries to conduct investigations of new mineral resources and to carry out the provisions of ORS § 517.840 (6).

(3) The State Treasurer may invest and reinvest the moneys in the Federal Locatable Mineral Royalties Subaccount as provided in ORS § 293.701 to 293.857. Interest from the moneys deposited in the subaccount and earnings from investment of the moneys in the subaccount shall be credited to the subaccount.

(4) The Mined Land Regulation and Reclamation Program Subaccount is established within the Geology and Mineral Industries Account. Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, all moneys received by the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries from fees assessed pursuant to ORS § 517.800 shall be credited to the subaccount. All moneys in the subaccount are continuously appropriated to the department for the purpose of administering ORS § 517.702 to 517.951.

(5) The Electronic Permitting System Subaccount is established within the Geology and Mineral Industries Account. Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, moneys received by the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries under ORS § 516.061 shall be credited to the subaccount. Moneys in the subaccount are continuously appropriated to the department for the costs of maintaining the department’s electronic permitting system, that allows the department to electronically issue permits and receive applications and fees under this chapter and ORS chapters 517, 520 and 522. Costs of maintaining the system include the costs of hosting, operating, repairing, upgrading, staffing and administering the system. [Amended by 1957 c.233 § 1; 1961 c.671 § 14; 1971 c.441 § 5; 1993 c.260 § 4; 1995 c.509 § 1; 2005 c.650 § 2; 2013 c.371 § 35; 2023 c.274 § 3]