COAL REMINING.

SEC. 2503. COAL REMINING. (a) Modification of Prohibition.— Section 510 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1260) is amended by adding the following new subsection at the end thereof: “(e) Modification of Prohibition.— After the date of enactment of this subsection, the prohibition of subsection (c) shall not apply to a permit application due to any violation resulting from an unanticipated event or condition at a surface coal mining operation on lands eligible for remining under a permit held by the person making such application. As used in this subsection, the term ‘violation’ has the same meaning as such term has under subsection (c). The authority of this subsection and section 515(b)(20)(B) shall terminate on September 30, 2004.”. (b) Period of Responsibility.— Section 515(b)(20) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1265(b)(20)) is amended as follows: (1) Insert “(A)” after “(20)”. (2) Add the following new subparagraph at the end thereof: “(B) on lands eligible for remining assume the responsibility for successful revegetation for a period of two full years after the last year of augmented seeding, fertilizing, irrigation, or other work in order to assure compliance with the applicable standards, except in those areas or regions of the country where the annual average precipitation is twenty-six inches or less, then the operator’s assumption of responsibility and liability will be extended for a period of five full years after the last year of augmented seeding, fertilizing, irrigation, or 106 STAT. 3103other work in order to assure compliance with the applicable standards.”. (c) Definitions.— Section 701 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1291) is amended by striking the period at the end of paragraph (32) and inserting a semicolon in lieu thereof, and by adding the following new paragraphs at the end thereof: “(33) the term ‘unanticipated event or condition’ as used in section 510(e) means an event or condition encountered in a remining operation that was not contemplated by the applicable surface coal mining and reclamation permit; and “(34) the term ‘lands eligible for remining’ means those lands that would otherwise be eligible for expenditures under section 404 or under section 402(g)(4).”. (d) Eligibility.— Section 404 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1234) is amended by adding the following new sentence at the end thereof: “Surface coal mining operations on lands eligible for remining shall not affect the eligibility of such lands for reclamation and restoration under this title after the release of the bond or deposit for any such operation as provided under section 519. In the event the bond or deposit for a surface coal mining operation on lands eligible for remining is forfeited, funds available under this title may be used if the amount of such bond or deposit is not sufficient to provide for adequate reclamation or abatement, except that if conditions warrant the Secretary shall immediately exercise his authority under section 410.”. (e) Abandoned Coal Refuse Sites.— (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to the contrary, the Secretary of the Interior shall, within one year after the enactment of this Act, publish proposed regulations in the Federal Register, and after opportunity for public comment publish final regulations, establishing environmental protection performance and reclamation standards, and separate permit systems applicable to operations for the on-site reprocessing of abandoned coal refuse and operations for the removal of abandoned coal refuse on lands that would otherwise be eligible for expenditure under section 404 and section 402(g)(4) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. (2) The standards and permit systems referred to in paragraph (1) shall distinguish between those operations which reprocess abandoned coal refuse on-site, and those operations which completely remove abandoned coal refuse from a site for the direct use of such coal refuse, or for the reprocessing of such coal refuse, at another location. Such standards and permit systems shall be premised on the distinct differences between operations for the on-site reprocessing, and operations for the removal, of abandoned coal refuse and other types of surface coal mining operations. (3) The Secretary of the Interior may devise a different standard than any of those set forth in section 515 and section 516 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, and devise a separate permit system, if he determines, on a standard-by-standard basis, that a different standard may facilitate the on-site reprocessing, or the removal, of abandoned coal refuse in a manner that would provide the same level of environmental protection as under section 515 and section 516. 106 STAT. 3104 (4) Not later than 30 days prior to the publication of the proposed regulations referred to in this subsection, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate containing a detailed description of any environmental protection performance and reclamation standards, and separate permit systems, devised pursuant to this subsection.