Indiana § 14-34-18-6 - Designation of area as unsuitable

§ 14-34-18-6. Designation of area as unsuitable

Sec. 6. (a) The director may designate an area as unsuitable for coal mining if the designation is based on competent and scientifically sound data.

(b) The director may designate an area as unsuitable for certain types of coal mining operations if the operation will:

(1) be incompatible with existing state or local land use plans or programs;

(2) affect fragile or historic lands in which the operation could result in significant damage to important historic, cultural, scientific, and esthetic values and natural systems;

(3) affect renewable resource lands, including aquifers and aquifer recharge areas, in which the operation could result in a substantial loss or reduction of long range productivity of water supply or of food or fiber products; or

(4) affect natural hazard lands, including the following:

(A) Areas subject to frequent flooding.

(B) Areas of unstable geology in which the operation could substantially endanger life and property.

(c) The director shall designate an area as unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining if the director determines that reclamation under this article is not technologically and economically feasible.

(d) The director shall integrate determinations of the unsuitability of land for surface coal mining with the land use planning and regulation processes at the federal, state, and local levels.

[Pre-1995 Recodification Citation: 13-4.1-14-4.]

As added by P.L.1-1995, SEC.27.

IC 14-34-19Chapter 19. Abandoned Mines

14-34-19-1Federal money 14-34-19-1.1The STREAM act fund 14-34-19-1.3Acid mine drainage abatement and treatment fund 14-34-19-1.5Reclamation set-aside fund 14-34-19-2Lands and water eligible for reclamation or drainage abatement expenditures 14-34-19-3Priorities for expenditures 14-34-19-4Director entering property to abate adverse effects of coal mining practices 14-34-19-5Director entering property to conduct studies or exploratory work 14-34-19-6Acquisition of adversely affected land for reclamation 14-34-19-7Title and price of land purchased 14-34-19-8Public sale of land 14-34-19-9Public hearing 14-34-19-10Transfer of land to state agency 14-34-19-11Sale of land with governor's approval 14-34-19-12Liens 14-34-19-13Powers of director 14-34-19-14Plants for controlling and treating water pollution from mine drainage 14-34-19-15Mine land reclamation projects; requirements