Within thirty days after each anniversary date of issuance of a surface or in-stream mining permit, the operator shall file with the chief of the division of mineral resources management an annual report, on a form prescribed and furnished by the chief, that, for the period covered by the report, shall state the amount of and identify the types of minerals and coal, if any coal, produced and shall state the number of acres affected and the number of acres estimated to be affected during the next year of operation. An annual report is not required to be filed if a final report is filed in lieu thereof.

Each annual report for a surface mining operation shall include a progress map indicating the location of areas of land affected during the period of the report and the location of the area of land estimated to be affected during the next year. The map shall be prepared in accordance with division (A)(11) or (12) of section 1514.02 of the Revised Code, as appropriate, except that a map prepared in accordance with division (A)(12) of that section may be certified by the operator or authorized agent of the operator in lieu of certification by a professional engineer or surveyor registered under Chapter 4733. of the Revised Code. However, the chief may require that an annual progress map or a final map be prepared by a registered professional engineer or registered surveyor if the chief has reason to believe that the operator exceeded the boundaries of the permit area or, if the operator filed the map required under division (A)(11) of section 1514.02 of the Revised Code, that the operator extracted ten thousand tons or more of minerals during the period covered by the report.

Each annual report for an in-stream mining operation shall include a statement of the total tonnage removed by in-stream mining for each month and of the surface acreage and depth of material removed by in-stream mining and shall include a map that identifies the area affected by the in-stream mining if the in-stream mining for the year addressed by the report occurred beyond the area identified in the most recent approved map, soundings that depict the cross-sectional views of the channel bottom of the watercourse if the soundings depict a cross-sectional view of the channel bottom that is different from the most recent approved map, and water elevations for the watercourse if water elevations are different from those indicated on the most recent approved map.

Each annual report shall be accompanied by a filing fee in the amount of five hundred dollars, except in the case of an annual report filed by a small operator or an in-stream mining operator. A small operator, which is a surface mine operator who intends to extract fewer than ten thousand tons of minerals and no coal during the next year of operation under the permit, or an in-stream mining operator shall include a filing fee in the amount of two hundred fifty dollars with each annual report. The annual report of any operator also shall be accompanied by an acreage fee in the amount of seventy-five dollars multiplied by the number of acres estimated in the report to be affected during the next year of operation under the permit. The acreage fee shall be adjusted by subtracting a credit of seventy-five dollars per excess acre paid for the preceding year if the acreage paid for the preceding year exceeds the acreage actually affected or by adding an additional amount of seventy-five dollars per excess acre affected if the acreage actually affected exceeds the acreage paid for the preceding year.

With each annual report the operator shall file a performance bond in the amount, unless otherwise provided by rule, of five hundred dollars multiplied by the number of acres estimated to be affected during the next year of operation under the permit for which no performance bond previously was filed. Unless otherwise provided by rule, the bond shall be adjusted by subtracting a credit of five hundred dollars per excess acre for which bond was filed for the preceding year if the acreage for which the bond was filed for the preceding year exceeds the acreage actually affected, or by adding an amount of five hundred dollars per excess acre affected if the acreage actually affected exceeds the acreage for which bond was filed for the preceding year.

Within thirty days after the expiration of the surface or in-stream mining permit, or completion or abandonment of the operation, whichever occurs earlier, the operator shall submit a final report containing the same information required in an annual report, but covering the time from the last annual report to the expiration of the permit, or completion or abandonment of the operation, whichever occurs earlier.

Each final report shall include a map indicating the location of the area of land affected during the period of the report and the location of the total area of land affected under the permit. The map shall be prepared in accordance with division (A)(11) or (12) of section 1514.02 of the Revised Code, as appropriate.

In the case of a final report for an in-stream mining operation, the map also shall include the information required under division (A)(18) of section 1514.02 of the Revised Code, as applicable.

If the final report and certified map, as verified by the chief, show that the number of acres affected under the permit is larger than the number of acres for which the operator has paid an acreage fee or filed a performance bond, upon notification by the chief, the operator shall pay an additional acreage fee in the amount of seventy-five dollars multiplied by the difference between the number of acres affected under the permit and the number of acres for which the operator has paid an acreage fee and shall file an additional performance bond in the amount, unless otherwise provided by rule, of five hundred dollars multiplied by the difference between the number of acres affected under the permit and the number of acres for which the operator has filed bond.

If the final report and certified map, as verified by the chief, show that the number of acres affected under the permit is smaller than the number of acres for which the operator has filed a performance bond, the chief shall order release of the excess bond. However, the chief shall retain a performance bond in a minimum amount of ten thousand dollars irrespective of the number of acres affected under the permit. The release of the excess bond shall be in an amount, unless otherwise provided by rule, equal to five hundred dollars multiplied by the difference between the number of acres affected under the permit and the number of acres for which the operator has filed bond.

The fees collected pursuant to this section and section 1514.02 of the Revised Code shall be deposited with the treasurer of state to the credit of the mining regulation and safety fund created under section 1513.30 of the Revised Code.

If upon inspection the chief finds that any filing fee, acreage fee, performance bond, or part thereof is not paid when due or is paid on the basis of false or substantially inaccurate reports, the chief may request the attorney general to recover the unpaid amounts that are due the state, and the attorney general shall commence appropriate legal proceedings to recover the unpaid amounts.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 49, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2017.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.125, SB 315, §101.01, eff. 9/10/2012.

Effective Date: 03-15-2002; 04-06-2007