Public Law 87–818

The second sentence of section 1 is amended to read as follows: “It is therefore declared to be the policy of the Congress to provide for the control and drainage of water in the anthracite coal formations and thereby conserve natural resources, promote national security, prevent injuries and loss of life, and preserve, public and private property, and to seal abandoned coal mines and to fill voids in abandoned coal mines, in those instances where such work is in the interest of the public health or safety.”;

The preamble clause of section 2 is amended to read as follows: “The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, in order to carry out the above-mentioned purposes, to make financial contributions on the basis of programs or projects approved by the Secretary to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (hereinafter designated as the ‘Commonwealth’) to seal abandoned coal mines and to fill voids in abandoned coal mines, in those instances where such work is in the interest of the public health or safety, and for control and drainage of water which, if not so controlled or drained, will cause the flooding of anthracite coal formations, said contributions to be applied to the cost of drainage works, pumping plants, and related facilities but subject, however, to the following conditions and limitations:”;

Section 2(b) is amended to read as follows: “The total amount of contributions by the Secretary of the Interior under the authority of this Act shall not exceed $8,500,000, of which $1,500,000 of the unexpended balance remaining as of July 31, 1962, shall be reserved for the control and drainage of water;”;

Section 2(c) is amended to read as follows: “The amounts contributed by the Secretary of the Interior under the authority of this Act and the equally matched amounts contributed by the Commonwealth shall not be used for operating and maintaining projects constructed pursuant to this Act or for the purchase of culm, rock, or spoil banks;”;

Section 2(d) is amended by striking out the word “and” after the semicolon;

Section 2(e) is amended to read as follows: “Projects constructed pursuant to this Act shall be so located, operated, and maintained as to provide the maximum conservation of anthracite coal resources or, in those instances where such work would be in the interest of the public health or safety, to seal abandoned coal mines and to fill voids in abandoned coal mines, and, where possible, to avoid creating inequities among those mines which may be affected by the waters to be controlled thereby; and”;

Section 2 is further amended by adding a new subsection to read as follows:

“(f)“(f)

Projects for the sealing of abandoned coal mines or the filling of voids in abandoned coal mines shall be determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be economically justified. The Secretary shall not find any project to be economically justified unless the potential benefits are estimated by him to exceed the estimated cost of the project.”

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Section 5 is amended by adding a sentence to read as follows:

Report to Congress.

30 USC 575.

“The Secretary of the Interior shall, on or before the first day of February of each year after the institution of the program for the sealing of abandoned coal mines or the filling of voids in abandoned coal mines, submit a report to Congress of the actions taken under this Act.”