This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Coal Reclamation Act of 1979".

It is the intent of the Oklahoma Legislature that the Coal Reclamation Act of 1978, Sections 742 et seq. of Title 45 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and this Coal Reclamation Act of 1979, be read together as the law regulating the reclamation of lands affected by surface coal mining operations and the surface effects of underground coal mining, to bring Oklahoma into compliance with Public Law 95-87, the "Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977".

The provisions of the Mining Lands Reclamation Act, Sections 721 through 728 of Title 45 of the Oklahoma Statutes, shall not apply to surface coal mining operations or the surface effects of underground coal mining operations.

The Oklahoma Legislature finds and declares that coal mining operations presently contribute significantly to the nation's energy requirements, that Oklahoma's coal production is part of those energy requirements, and that the cooperative effort established by this act is necessary to prevent or mitigate adverse environmental effects of all surface mining operations.

It is the purpose of this act to protect the rights of surface owners and the environment, and to require reclamation of lands affected by surface and underground coal mining in a manner compatible with the social, environmental and aesthetic needs of this state. If reclamation is not feasible, surface mining operations should not be conducted. It is the intent of the Legislature to insure the existence of an expanding and economically healthy coal mining industry and that there be public participation in the development of rules and regulations appropriate to the State of Oklahoma and that the Department of Mines exercise the full reach of its powers to insure the protection of the public interest through the effective control of surface mining operations.

Laws 1979, c. 249, § 2, emerg. eff. June 1, 1979.