Upon receipt of a reasonable operations plan and bond prescribed above, the Director shall review the plan and if it meets with his approval issue a permit. If the Director disapproves the plan, he shall furnish the applicant with his written objections thereto and his required amendments. Until the applicant shall amend his operations plan to meet the Director's reasonable objections and file a satisfactory amended plan with the Director, no permit shall be issued.

In reviewing such plan, if the Director finds that the operation will constitute a hazard to the public safety or welfare, or that a reasonable degree of reclamation or proper drainage control is not feasible, he may disapprove the permit application. Provided, however, that the Director may approve the permit after deleting the areas from the permit application held to be objectionable in the Director's findings.

The Director shall issue the permit unless he finds that the applicant has had control or has had common control with a person, partnership, association, trust or corporation which has had a mining permit revoked or bond or other security forfeited for failure to reclaim lands as required by the laws of this State, in which event no permit shall be issued. Except, however, if an operator who has heretofore forfeited a bond within thirty days of notice and demand by the Director pays the cost of reclamation in excess of the amount of the forfeited bond, or if any bond is forfeited and the amount forfeited is equal to or greater than the cost of reclamation, such operator shall then become eligible for another permit.

1968, c. 734; 1974, c. 312; 1977, c. 312.