Tennessee § 59-8-122 - Enforcement or protection of interest in water resources affected by mining operation — Repair or compensation for subsidence damage — Replacement of water supply. [Contingent effective date, see Compiler's Notes.]

§ 59-8-122. Enforcement or protection of interest in water resources affected by mining operation — Repair or compensation for subsidence damage — Replacement of water supply. [Contingent effective date, see Compiler's Notes.]

Nothing in this part affects the right of any person to enforce or protect, under applicable law, that person's interest in water resources affected by a mining operation. The permittee or operator of a surface coal mine shall replace the water supply of an owner of an interest in real property who obtains all or part of that owner's supply of water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, or other legitimate use from an underground or surface source when the water supply has been affected by contamination, diminution, or interruption proximately resulting from the surface coal mine operation. Underground coal mining operations conducted in this state after October 24, 1992, shall: Promptly repair, or compensate for, material damage resulting from subsidence caused to any occupied residential dwelling and structures related thereto, or noncommercial building due to underground coal mining operations. Repair of damage shall include rehabilitation, restoration, or replacement of the damaged occupied residential dwelling and structures related thereto, or noncommercial building. Compensation shall be provided to the owner of the damaged occupied residential dwelling and structures related thereto, or noncommercial building and shall be in the full amount of the diminution in value resulting from the subsidence. Compensation may be accomplished by the purchase, prior to mining, of a noncancellable premium-prepaid insurance policy; and Promptly replace any drinking, domestic, or residential water supply from a well or spring in existence prior to the application for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit, which has been affected by contamination, diminution, or interruption resulting from underground coal mining operations. Nothing in this subsection (c) shall interrupt underground coal mining operations. Acts 2018, ch. 839, § 1. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2018, ch. 839, § 44 provided that the governor shall take all action necessary to prepare and submit for approval all necessary requests for federal grant funding and applications for authorization to the appropriate federal authority to obtain exclusive jurisdiction over surface coal mining and reclamation operations and the maximum federal money available for those purposes in an expeditious manner. Acts 2018, ch. 839, § 45 provided that the commissioner of environment and conservation shall notify the secretary of state and the executive secretary of the Tennessee code commission of the date this state has been approved to exercise primacy over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations within its territorial boundaries. Acts 2018, ch. 839, § 47 provided that the act, which enacted this part, §§ 59-8-101 —59-8-134, shall take effect eight (8) months immediately following the receipt of notification from the secretary of the interior that this state has been approved to exercise primacy over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations within its territorial boundaries. Acts 2018, ch. 839, § 47 provided that for purposes of rulemaking, the act, which enacted this part, §§ 59-8-101 —59-8-134, shall take effect upon the deposit of federal funds in the Coal Mining Protection Fund. Effective Dates. Acts 2018, ch. 839, § 47. [See Compiler's Notes.]