Virginia Code 45.2-1230: Agreements with owners or lessees; reclamation by Director
The Director is authorized to enter into agreements with owners or lessees of orphaned land when the owners agree to the reclamation of such land by the Division to the extent and in the manner deemed appropriate or reasonable by the Director. The Director shall not return orphaned land to any use other than the minimum potential use of the land that existed prior to the initiation of mining operations unless the landowner or owners, or lessee or lessees, agree to bind themselves to the payment of the additional cost upon terms that the Director deems reasonable. In entering into such agreements, the Director shall be guided by the priorities for reclamation established by him and shall not enter into any such agreement unless funds are immediately available for the performance of the agreement by the Director as provided in this article.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 45.2-1230
- Division: means the Division of Mineral Mining. See Virginia Code 45.2-1200
- Mining: means the breaking or disturbing of the surface soil or rock in order to facilitate or accomplish the extraction or removal of minerals or any activity constituting all or part of a process for the extraction or removal of minerals so as to make them suitable for commercial, industrial, or construction use. See Virginia Code 45.2-1200
- Reclamation: means the restoration or conversion of disturbed land to a stable condition that minimizes or prevents adverse disruption and the injurious effects of such disruption and presents an opportunity for further productive use if such use is reasonable. See Virginia Code 45.2-1200
1978, c. 634, § 45.1-197.5; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.