FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY

The legislature finds and declares that: (1) the Congress of the United States has enacted the federal Act, which provides for the establishment of a nationwide program to regulate surface coal mining and reclamation and which vests exclusive authority in the Department of the Interior over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation in the United States; (2) Section 101 of the federal Act contains the finding by Congress that because of the diversity in terrain, climate, biologic, chemical, and other physical conditions in areas subject to mining operations, the primary governmental responsibility for developing, authorizing, issuing, and enforcing regulations for surface mining and reclamation operations subject to that Act should rest with the states; (3) Section 503 of the federal Act provides that each state may assume and retain exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations in that state by obtaining approval of a state program of regulation that demonstrates that the state is able to carry out the provisions and meet the purposes of that Act; (4) Section 503 of the federal Act further provides that a state wishing to assume exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations in the state must have a state law that provides for the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations in accordance with that Act; and (5) this state wishes to assume exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations in the state under the federal Act.