45-6B-20. Inspection of site prior to issuance of permit--Surety for reclamation costs required.

Prior to the issuance of a mining permit the Board of Minerals and Environment shall cause an inspection to be made of the proposed mine site. Based upon this inspection, the criteria established in § 45-6B-21, and the submitted reclamation plan, the board shall set the level of the surety necessary to guarantee the costs of reclamation of affected public and private lands. The surety shall be filed or deposited with the board before the issuance of the mining permit in such form as required by the board.

Source: SL 1982, ch 305, § 20.

45-6B-20.1. Board may require additional proof of financial assurance from certain operators--Content and amount--Factors for consideration.

The board may require any operator whose mining operation employs cyanide leaching or any other chemical or biological leaching process to extract minerals from ore, in addition to the surety required by § 45-6B-20, to file or deposit an additional proof of financial assurance with the board before the issuance of the mining permit in such form as required by the board. The financial assurance may consist of insurance, cash, company net worth, or such other form of security as the board deems adequate to protect the interests of the public. The board shall set the amount of the financial assurance based on the cost of responding to and remediating accidental releases of cyanide or other chemical or biological leaching agents to the environment. In determining the assurance amount for responding to and remediating accidental releases, the board shall consider such factors as the distance to surface water and groundwater resources and their beneficial use classification, the financial and technical capability of the operator to respond to accidental releases, the type and amount of leaching agents to be used by the operator, contingencies and safeguards built into the operating and reclamation plans to lessen the likelihood of accidental releases, and any other site-specific factor related to protection of public health and safety or the environment. The amount of the financial assurance may not be more than one million dollars. Any operator whose proof of financial assurance is based on company net worth shall report to the board yearly the status of the company's net worth.

Source: SL 1989, ch 306, § 50; SL 2009, ch 226, § 1.

45-6B-20.2. Time for filing under 45-6B-20.1.

The operator of any existing mining operation that employs cyanide leaching or any other chemical or biological leaching process to extract minerals from ore shall, if required by the board, file or deposit the proof of financial assurance with the board pursuant to § 45-6B-20.1 within one hundred twenty days of the order of the board.

Source: SL 1989, ch 306, § 51.