§872 — Title 30 Mineral Lands and Mining | U.S. Code

Summary

Mine operators must keep an accurate, up-to-date map of the mine in a fireproof box on the surface in a safe spot. The map must be drawn to scale and show things like current workings, areas left with pillars or mined out or abandoned, entries and airways (with arrows showing airflow), contours and elevations, escape routes, the coalbed angle, nearby mines within 1,000 feet, water pockets above, and oil or gas wells within 500 feet, plus any other items the Secretary requires. The map must note places that are unsafe or unreachable and must be made or certified and later updated by a state-registered engineer or surveyor. Temporary notes are allowed, and full revisions must follow the time schedule the Secretary sets based on a certified survey. The map and its updates must be available for inspection by the Secretary or the Secretary’s reps, state mine inspectors, miners and their representatives, operators of nearby mines, and people who own, lease, or live on nearby surface land. The operator must give copies to the Secretary and to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development if asked. The maps are kept confidential and may only be shared as needed to carry out the law or HUD’s duties. If a mine is permanently closed or abandoned, or closed for more than 90 days, the operator must tell the Secretary right away and file a certified copy of the map within 60 days of permanent closure (or after 90 days for temporary closure); that filed map must be available for public inspection.

Title 30, §872

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The operator of a coal mine shall have in a fireproof repository located in an area on the surface of the mine chosen by the mine operator to minimize the danger of destruction by fire or other hazard, an accurate and up-to-date map of such mine drawn on scale. Such map shall show the active workings, all pillared, worked out, and abandoned areas, except as provided in this section, entries and aircourses with the direction of airflow indicated by arrows, contour lines of all elevations, elevations of all main and cross or side entries, dip of the coalbed, escapeways, adjacent mine workings within one thousand feet, mines above or below, water pools above, and either producing or abandoned oil and gas wells located within five hundred feet of such mine and any underground area of such mine, and such other information as the Secretary may require. Such map shall identify those areas of the mine which have been pillared, worked out, or abandoned which are inaccessible or cannot be entered safely and on which no information is available. Such map shall be made or certified by a registered engineer or a registered surveyor of the State in which the mine is located. Such map shall be kept up to date by temporary notations and such map shall be revised and supplemented at intervals prescribed by the Secretary on the basis of a survey made or certified by such engineer or surveyor.

(b)The coal mine map and any revision and supplement thereof shall be available for inspection by the Secretary or his authorized representative, by coal mine inspectors of the State in which the mine is located, by miners in the mine and their representatives and by operators of adjacent coal mines and by persons owning, leasing, or residing on surface areas of such mines or areas adjacent to such mines. The operator shall furnish to the Secretary or his authorized representative and to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, upon request, one or more copies of such map and any revision and supplement thereof. Such map or revision and supplement thereof shall be kept confidential and its contents shall not be divulged to any other person, except to the extent necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter and in connection with the functions and responsibilities of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

(c)Whenever an operator permanently closes or abandons a coal mine, or temporarily closes a coal mine for a period of more than ninety days, he shall promptly notify the Secretary of such closure. Within sixty days of the permanent closure or abandonment of the mine, or, when the mine is temporarily closed, upon the expiration of a period of ninety days from the date of closure, the operator shall file with the Secretary a copy of the mine map revised and supplemented to the date of the closure. Such copy of the mine map shall be certified by a registered surveyor or registered engineer of the State in which the mine is located and shall be available for public inspection.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 91–173, Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 742, known as the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 801 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section operative 90 days after Dec. 30, 1969, except to the extent an earlier date is specifically provided for in Pub. L. 91–173, see section 509 of Pub. L. 91–173, set out as a note under section 801 of this title.

§872 Maps