{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-45-45-742.1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 45, § 45-742.1","heading":"Short title - Intent of Legislature - Application of act","body":"- Public policy - Purpose of act.\n\nThis act shall be known and may be cited as the \"Coal\n\nReclamation Act of 1979\".\n\nIt is the intent of the Oklahoma Legislature that the Coal\n\nReclamation Act of 1978, Sections 742 et seq. of Title 45 of the\n\nOklahoma Statutes, and this Coal Reclamation Act of 1979, be read\n\ntogether as the law regulating the reclamation of lands affected by\n\nsurface coal mining operations and the surface effects of\n\nunderground coal mining, to bring Oklahoma into compliance with\n\nPublic Law 95-87, the \"Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of\n\n1977\".\n\nThe provisions of the Mining Lands Reclamation Act, Sections 721\n\nthrough 728 of Title 45 of the Oklahoma Statutes, shall not apply to\n\nsurface coal mining operations or the surface effects of underground\n\ncoal mining operations.\n\nThe Oklahoma Legislature finds and declares that coal mining\n\noperations presently contribute significantly to the nation's energy\n\nrequirements, that Oklahoma's coal production is part of those\n\nenergy requirements, and that the cooperative effort established by\n\nthis act is necessary to prevent or mitigate adverse environmental\n\neffects of all surface mining operations.\n\nIt is the purpose of this act to protect the rights of surface\n\nowners and the environment, and to require reclamation of lands\n\naffected by surface and underground coal mining in a manner\n\ncompatible with the social, environmental and aesthetic needs of\n\nthis state. If reclamation is not feasible, surface mining\n\noperations should not be conducted. It is the intent of the\n\nLegislature to insure the existence of an expanding and economically\n\nhealthy coal mining industry and that there be public participation\n\nin the development of rules and regulations appropriate to the State\n\nof Oklahoma and that the Department of Mines exercise the full reach\n\nof its powers to insure the protection of the public interest\n\nthrough the effective control of surface mining operations.","path":["OK Code","Title 45"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os45.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"7bc4a59ce18d03cf1581a14629e80fab38d3eeac05007e4da5ae271fd5af0fbe","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-45-45-740.7","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-45-45-742.2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}