Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73
§1236 Reclamation of rural lands
Title 30 › Chapter CHAPTER 25— - SURFACE MINING CONTROL AND RECLAMATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - ABANDONED MINE RECLAMATIONS › § 1236
Summary
The Secretary of Agriculture can make agreements up to ten years with landowners (including water-rights owners), residents, or tenants to fix and reclaim mined lands. The goal is to stop erosion and sediment damage and to conserve soil, water (not including stream channelization), woods, wildlife, recreation, and farm productivity. The landowner must give a conservation and development plan that both the Secretary and the landowner agree on. If mining has harmed water supply or water rights by changing the underground layers and hurting the hydrologic balance, the plan can include joint actions with other affected owners and with State or Federal agencies to improve water quality or quantity. The agreed plan becomes part of the contract, and the landowner must carry it out. The Secretary can provide money and other help to pay for the work. Depending on how much income the land can make after reclamation, grants can cover up to 80% of the cost for up to 120 acres per owner, or for up to 120 acres bought together by owners, or land bought by a State or local agency to carry out the plan. The Secretary can lower the owner’s share if most benefits are offsite and the cost would stop participation. The Secretary may allow work on up to 320 acres for one owner but will cut the grant share proportionally. The Secretary can also treat a whole hydrologic unit of up to 25,000 acres if that gives better results. Agreements can be changed or ended by mutual consent if it serves the public. The Secretary may include short rules about preserving or giving up cropland history for Federal programs, must use the Natural Resources Conservation Service, can make needed rules, and may receive money from the Treasury to run the program.
Full Legal Text
Title 30, §1236
Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)In order to provide for the control and prevention of erosion and sediment damages from unreclaimed mined lands, and to promote the conservation and development of soil and water resources of unreclaimed mined lands and lands affected by mining, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to enter into agreements of not more than ten years with landowners (including owners of water rights), residents, and tenants, and individually or collectively, determined by him to have control for the period of the agreement of lands in question therein, providing for land stabilization, erosion, and sediment control, and reclamation through conservation treatment, including measures for the conservation and development of soil, water (excluding stream channelization), woodland, wildlife, and recreation resources, and agricultural productivity of such lands. Such agreements shall be made by the Secretary with the owners, including owners of water rights, residents, or tenants (collectively or individually) of the lands in question.
(b)The landowner, including the owner of water rights, resident, or tenant shall furnish to the Secretary of Agriculture a conservation and development plan setting forth the proposed land uses and conservation treatment which shall be mutually agreed by the Secretary of Agriculture and the landowner, including owner of water rights, resident, or tenant to be needed on the lands for which the plan was prepared. In those instances where it is determined that the water rights or water supply of a tenant, landowner, including owner of water rights, resident, or tenant have been adversely affected by a surface or underground coal mine operation which has removed or disturbed a stratum so as to significantly affect the hydrologic balance, such plan may include proposed measures to enhance water quality or quantity by means of joint action with other affected landowners, including owner of water rights, residents, or tenants in consultation with appropriate State and Federal agencies.
(c)Such plan shall be incorporated in an agreement under which the landowner, including owner of water rights, resident, or tenant shall agree with the Secretary of Agriculture to effect the land uses and conservation treatment provided for in such plan on the lands described in the agreement in accordance with the terms and conditions thereof.
(d)In return for such agreement by the landowner, including owner of water rights, resident, or tenant, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to furnish financial and other assistance to such landowner, including owner of water rights, resident, or tenant, in such amounts and subject to such conditions as the Secretary of Agriculture determines are appropriate in the public interest for carrying out the land use and conservation treatment set forth in the agreement. Grants made under this section, depending on the income-producing potential of the land after reclaiming, shall provide up to 80 per centum of the cost of carrying out such land uses and conservation treatment on not more than one hundred and twenty acres of land occupied by such owner, including water rights owners, resident, or tenant, or on not more than one hundred and twenty acres of land which has been purchased jointly by such landowners, including water rights owners, residents, or tenants, under an agreement for the enhancement of water quality or quantity or on land which has been acquired by an appropriate State or local agency for the purpose of implementing such agreement; except the Secretary may reduce the matching cost share where he determines that (1) the main benefits to be derived from the project are related to improving offsite water quality, offsite esthetic values, or other offsite benefits, and (2) the matching share requirement would place a burden on the landowner which would probably prevent him from participating in the program: Provided, however, That the Secretary of Agriculture may allow for land use and conservation treatment on such lands occupied by any such owner in excess of such one hundred and twenty acre limitation up to three hundred and twenty acres, but in such event the amount of the grant to such landowner to carry out such reclamation on such lands shall be reduced proportionately. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section with regard to acreage limitations, the Secretary of Agriculture may carry out reclamation treatment projects to control erosion and improve water quality on all lands within a hydrologic unit, consisting of not more than 25,000 acres, if the Secretary determines that treatment of such lands as a hydrologic unit will achieve greater reduction in the adverse effects of past surface mining practices than would be achieved if reclamation was done on individual parcels of land.
(e)The Secretary of Agriculture may terminate any agreement with a landowner including water rights owners, operator, or occupier by mutual agreement if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such termination would be in the public interest, and may agree to such modification of agreements previously entered into hereunder as he deems desirable to carry out the purposes of this section or to facilitate the practical administration of the program authorized herein.
(f)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture, to the extent he deems it desirable to carry out the purposes of this section, may provide in any agreement hereinunder for (1) preservation for a period not to exceed the period covered by the agreement and an equal period thereafter of the cropland, crop acreage, and allotment history applicable to land covered by the agreement for the purpose of any Federal program under which such history is used as a basis for an allotment or other limitation on the production of such crop; or (2) surrender of any such history and allotments.
(g)The Secretary of Agriculture shall be authorized to issue such rules and regulations as he determines are necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
(h)In carrying out the provisions of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall utilize the services of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
(i)There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture, from amounts in the Treasury other than amounts in the fund, such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2006—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 109–432, § 204(a), substituted “Natural Resources Conservation Service” for “Soil Conservation Service”. Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 109–432, § 204(b), added subsec. (i). 1990—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–508, § 6012(d)(3), which directed the substitution of “(including owners” for “including owners” was executed the first time that phrase appeared to reflect the probable intent of Congress, because the parenthetical statement concluding with “water rights)” was enacted without an opening parenthesis. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101–508, § 6008, struck out “experimental” before “reclamation treatment projects” in last sentence. Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 101–508, § 6012(c), repealed subsec. (i) which read as follows: “Funds shall be made available to the Secretary of Agriculture for the purposes of this section, as provided in section 1231 of this title.” 1981—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–98 inserted provisions that notwithstanding any other provision of this section with regard to acreage limitations, the Secretary may carry out experimental reclamation treatment projects to control erosion and improve water quality on all lands within a hydrologic unit, consisting of not more than 25,000 acres, if the Secretary determines that treatment of such lands as a hydrologic unit will achieve greater reduction in the adverse effects of past surface mining practices than would be achieved if reclamation was done on individual parcels of land.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1990 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 101–508 effective Oct. 1, 1991, see section 6014 of Pub. L. 101–508 set out as a note under section 1231 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1981 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–98 effective Dec. 22, 1981, see section 1801 of Pub. L. 97–98, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 4301 of Title 7, Agriculture.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
30 U.S.C. § 1236
Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73