§ 551. — Declaration of policy.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 30USC551]
TITLE 30--MINERAL LANDS AND MINING
CHAPTER 13--CONTROL OF COAL-MINE FIRES
Sec. 551. Declaration of policy
It is recognized that outcrop and underground fires in coal
formations involve serious wastage of the fuel resources of the Nation,
and constitute a menace to the health and safety of the public and to
surface property. It is therefore declared to be the policy of the
Congress to provide for the control and extinguishment of outcrop and
underground coal fires and thereby to prevent injuries and loss of life,
protect public health, conserve natural resources, and to preserve
public and private surface property.
(Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1156, Sec. 1, 68 Stat. 1009.)
Coal Formations
Pub. L. 102-486, title XXV, Sec. 2504(d)(1), (2), Oct. 24, 1992, 106
Stat. 3105, 3106, provided that:
``(1) In furtherance of the purposes of the Act of August 31, 1954
(30 U.S.C. 551-558) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the
Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement,
shall, upon application by a State, enter into a cooperative agreement
with any such State that has an approved abandoned mine reclamation
program pursuant to section 405 of the Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act of 1977 [30 U.S.C. 1235] to undertake the activities
referred to in section 3(b) of the Act of August 31, 1954 (30 U.S.C.
553(b)). The Secretary shall immediately enter into such cooperative
agreement upon application by a State. Any such cooperative agreement
shall not be subject to review or approval by the Appalachian Regional
Development Commission.
``(2) For the purposes of the cooperative agreements entered into
pursuant to paragraph (1), the requirements of section 5 of the Act of
August 31, 1954 (30 U.S.C. 555) are hereby waived.''
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 553 of this title.
