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Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73not60

§1279 Anthracite Coal Mines

Title 30 › Chapter 25— SURFACE MINING CONTROL AND RECLAMATION › Subchapter V— CONTROL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF SURFACE COAL MINING › § 1279

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must write separate federal rules, on the chapter’s schedule, for anthracite coal surface mines when the State already has environmental rules for those mines. Those federal rules must use the State’s environmental protection rules that were in effect on August 3, 1977, instead of federal sections 1265 and 1266. Federal sections 1259 and 1269 still apply, but certain bond limits and the length of revegetation responsibility are exceptions. All other rules in the chapter stay in force. If a State later changes its anthracite program or the State rules that replaced 1265 and 1266, the Secretary must issue any extra federal rules needed to meet the chapter’s goals.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1279

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary is authorized to and shall issue separate regulations according to time schedules established in this chapter for anthracite coal surface mines, if such mines are regulated by environmental protection standards of the State in which they are located. Such alternative regulations shall adopt, in each instance, the environmental protection provisions of the State regulatory program in existence on August 3, 1977, in lieu of section 1265 and 1266 of this title. Provisions of section 1259 and 1269 of this title are applicable except for specified bond limits and period of revegetation responsibility. All other provisions of this chapter apply and the regulation issued by the Secretary of Interior for each State anthracite regulatory program shall so reflect: Provided, however, That upon amendment of a State’s regulatory program for anthracite mining or regulations thereunder in force in lieu of the above-cited sections of this chapter, the Secretary shall issue such additional regulations as necessary to meet the purposes of this chapter.
(b)Omitted.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Subsec. (b) of this section, which required the Secretary of the Interior to report to Congress biennially on the effectiveness of State anthracite regulatory programs operating in conjunction with this chapter with respect to protecting the environment, terminated, effective May 15, 2000, pursuant to section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance. See, also, page 109 of House Document No. 103–7.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1279

Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60