Kentucky Revised Statutes Title XXVIII. Mines and Minerals § 350.560.Lands and water eligible for reclamation or drainage abatement expenditures

(1) Lands and water eligible for reclamation or drainage abatement expenditures under the Abandoned Mine Lands Program are those which were mined for coal or which were affected by coal mining, wastebanks, coal processing, or other coal mining processes, and were abandoned or left in an inadequate reclamation status prior to August 3, 1977, and for which there is no continuing reclamation responsibility under the provisions of this chapter. Surface coal mining operations on lands eligible for remining shall not affect the eligibility of those lands for reclamation and restoration under this chapter after the release of the bond or deposit for a remining operation as provided under KRS 350.093. In the event the bond or deposit for a surface coal mining operation on lands eligible for remining is forfeited, funds available under this chapter may be used if the amount of the bond or deposit is not sufficient to provide for adequate reclamation or abatement, except that if conditions warrant the cabinet shall immediately exercise its authority under KRS 350.585.

(2) If the cabinet determines that the reclamation priority, under the priorities of KRS 350.555(1) and (2), of a site is the same or more urgent than the priority of sites under subsection (1) of this section, the following sites shall also be eligible for reclamation or drainage abatement expenditures:

(3) Sites under subsection (2) of this section in the immediate vicinity of a residential area or which have an adverse economic impact upon a local community shall be given priority.

(4) Funds allocated to the Commonwealth through annual grants from the Secretary of the Interior may be expended for the purposes of protecting, repairing, replacing, constructing, or enhancing facilities relating to water supply, including water distribution facilities and treatment plants, to replace water supplies adversely affected by coal mining practices. If the adverse effect on water supplies referred to in this subsection occurred both prior to and after August 3, 1977, subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall not be construed to prohibit use of funds for the purposes of this subsection, if the adverse effects occurred predominantly prior to August 3, 1977.

(5) Where the Governor has made a certification under KRS 350.553 and the Secretary of the Interior has concurred in the certification, the reclamation categories of KRS 350.553(2) shall take effect, supplanting the categories of subsections (1), (2), and (4) of this section.