27-930. Public disclosure of information; definition

A. The state mine inspector shall make available to the public any records, reports or information obtained or prepared by the inspector, unless a notice accompanying the information or any part of the information states that the information is a trade secret or is otherwise confidential to the party's competitive position.

B. If the inspector, on his own or following a request for disclosure, disagrees with the trade secret or confidential notice, the inspector may request the attorney general to seek a court order authorizing disclosure. If a court order is sought, the party shall be served with a copy of the court filing and has twenty business days from the date of service to request a hearing on whether a court order should be issued. The hearing shall be conducted in camera, and any order resulting from the hearing is appealable as provided by law. The inspector may not disclose the confidential information until a court order authorizing disclosure has been obtained and becomes final. The court may award costs of litigation including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees to the prevailing party.

C. The inspector shall make available to the public the following information obtained from any person pursuant to this chapter:

1. The name and address of any plan applicant.

2. The proposed post-mining land use or uses.

3. A general description of the proposed reclamation measures.

D. The inspector may disclose, with an accompanying confidentiality notice, any records, reports or information obtained by the inspector or employees of the division of mined land reclamation to:

1. Other state employees concerned with administering this chapter or if the records, reports or information is relevant to any administrative or judicial proceeding under this chapter.

2. Employees of the United States environmental protection agency if the information is necessary or required to administer and implement or comply with federal statutes or regulations.

E. For purposes of this section, " trade secret" means information to which all of the following apply:

1. A person has taken reasonable measures to protect the information from disclosure and the person intends to continue to take those measures.

2. The information is not and has not been reasonably obtainable by legitimate means by other persons without the person's consent, other than by governmental entities and other than in discovery based on a showing of special need in a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding.

3. A statute does not specifically require disclosure of the information to the public.

4. The person has satisfactorily shown that disclosure of the information is likely to cause substantial harm to the person's competitive position.