2023 Texas Statutes › Natural Resources Code › Title 4 - Mines and Mining › Chapter 134 - Texas Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act › Subchapter D. Surface Coal Mining Permits › Section 134.052. Contents of Permit Application

Sec. 134.052.  CONTENTS OF PERMIT APPLICATION.  (a)  A permit application must be submitted in a manner satisfactory to the commission and must contain:
(1)  the name and address of:
(A)  the applicant;
(B)  each owner of record of the property to be mined;
(C)  each holder of record of any leasehold interest in the property;
(D)  the purchaser of record of the property under a real estate contract;
(E)  the operator if the operator is not the applicant;
(F)  the principals, officers, and resident agent of a person described by Paragraph (A), (B), (C), (D), or (E) if the person is a business entity other than a sole proprietor;  and
(G)  the owners of record of the property adjoining the permit area;
(2)  a description of any:
(A)  current or previous surface coal mining permits held by the applicant;  or
(B)  other pending application by the applicant;
(3)  information about ownership and management of the applicant or operator required by commission rule;
(4)  a statement of whether the applicant or a subsidiary, affiliate, or other person controlled by or under common control with the applicant:
(A)  has held a federal or state mining permit that has been suspended or revoked in the five years preceding the date the application is submitted and, if so, a brief explanation of the facts involved;  or
(B)  has forfeited a mining bond or similar security deposited in lieu of bond and, if so, a brief explanation of the facts involved;
(5)  a copy of the notice required by Section 134.058;
(6)  a description of:
(A)  the type and method of the existing or proposed coal mining operation;
(B)  the engineering techniques proposed or in use;  and
(C)  the equipment in use or proposed to be used;
(7)  the anticipated or actual starting and termination dates of each phase of the mining operation and number of acres of land to be affected;
(8)  an accurate map or plan, to an appropriate scale, clearly showing:
(A)  the land to be affected as of the date of the application;  and
(B)  the area of land in the permit area on which the applicant has the right to enter and begin surface mining operations;
(9)  the documents on which the applicant bases the applicant's right to enter and begin surface mining operations on the affected area;
(10)  a statement of whether the applicant's right to enter and begin surface mining operations on the affected area is the subject of pending court litigation;
(11)  the name of the watershed and location of the surface streams or tributaries into which surface and pit drainage will be discharged;
(12)  a determination of the probable hydrologic consequences of the mining and reclamation operation, if any, both on and off the mine site, with respect to the hydrologic regime and the quantity and quality of water in surface-water systems and groundwater systems, including the dissolved and suspended solids under seasonal flow conditions;
(13)  sufficient data on the mine site and surrounding areas for the commission to assess the probable cumulative impacts of all anticipated mining in the area on the hydrology of the area, particularly on water availability;
(14)  when requested by the commission, the published climatological factors peculiar to the locality of the land to be affected, including:
(A)  the average seasonal precipitation;
(B)  the average direction and velocity of prevailing winds;  and
(C)  the seasonal temperature ranges;
(15)  a statement of the result of test borings or core samplings from the permit area, including:
(A)  logs of the drill holes;
(B)  the thickness of the coal seam found;
(C)  an analysis of the chemical properties of the coal;
(D)  the sulfur content of any coal seam;
(E)  a chemical analysis of any potentially acid- or toxic-forming sections of the overburden;  and
(F)  a chemical analysis of the stratum lying immediately underneath the coal to be mined;
(16)  for land in the permit application that a reconnaissance inspection suggests may be prime farmland, a soil survey made or obtained according to standards established by the secretary of agriculture to confirm the exact location of the land;
(17)  a reclamation plan that complies with this chapter;
(18)  if applicable, a schedule listing any notices of violations as provided by Section 134.068;
(19)  a certificate satisfactory to the commission that the applicant has a public liability insurance policy as described by Section 134.053 in effect for the surface coal mining and reclamation operation for which the permit is sought, or evidence satisfactory to the commission that the applicant should be allowed to be self-insured;  and
(20)  other data and maps the commission requires by rule.
(b)  A determination under Subsection (a)(12) may not be required until the time that hydrologic information on the general area before mining is made available from an appropriate state agency, but the permit may not be approved until the information is available and has been incorporated into the application.
(c)  The commission may waive Subsection (a)(15) for a particular application if the commission determines in writing that the information is unnecessary.
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 12.02(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1995.