Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 632 - DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES › Division 38 - VOLUNTARY RECLAMATION PROGRAM › Section 632-038-0030 - Qualifying Reclamation Practices

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
A reclamation practice may be considered for an incentive under
				OAR 632-038-0050  if it meets one or more of the following criteria:
(1) Concurrent or final reclamation that
			 enhances habitat for threatened or endangered species or species of special
			 concern. The establishment of vegetation or habitat shall be identified by
			 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife or the Oregon Department of Agriculture
			 as beneficial to the species. The vegetation or habitat must meet cover and
			 production targets for the reclamation to qualify.
(2) Visual screening that provides sound and
			 dust attenuation, uses concurrent native reclamation, blends in with the
			 surrounding area and is approved by the department.
(3) Establishment of an on-site or local seed
			 collection, transplant, and/or cutting plan for native vegetation. The plan
			 should include maps and text identifying where and how plant materials shall be
			 collected and a schedule identifying dates for implementing the plan.
(4) Post-mining contour maps at a scale
			 approved by the department and committed to by the operator that show detailed
			 final reclamation contours and include complex slope configurations and a
			 backfilling and compaction plan (if applicable) designed to reduce erosion,
			 enhance revegetation success and blend in with the surrounding area.
(5) Any site that receives Oregon Department
			 of Fish and Wildlife district biologist sign-off that the reclamation plan will
			 provide significant enhanced habitat for anadromous fish, or state or federally
			 listed threatened or endangered species.
(6) Any site that receives Oregon Department
			 of Fish and Wildlife district biologist or habitat conservation division
			 sign-off that the reclamation plan will substantially improve habitat over the
			 pre-mine condition for avian or terrestrial wildlife or watershed
			 health.
(7) Any site that receives
			 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife or Oregon Department of Parks and
			 Recreation sign-off that the reclamation plan will substantially improve
			 recreational opportuntities for the public. The opportunities include but are
			 not limited to educational study areas, interpretive centers, hunting and
			 fishing opportunities, or campgrounds in urban, suburban and rural
			 areas.
(8) Any site operating
			 within areas designated as prime farmlands by the Oregon Department of
			 Agriculture that provides for no net loss of prime farmlands.
(9) Reclamation of orphaned sites that meet
			 or exceed current program standards.
(10) Establishment of test plots or similar
			 research oriented projects accepted by the department that are designed to
			 demonstrate effective reclamation techniques that have broad industry utility
			 and likely will lead to higher quality reclamation.
(11) Creation of, or participation in, a
			 voluntary program that enhances fish or wildlife habitat at a site unaffected
			 by mining.
(12) Creation of, or
			 participation in, a voluntary program that provides educational opportunities
			 to primary or secondary school students.
(13) Innovative planning or reclamation
			 coordinated with and endorsed by the local land use planning agency that
			 significantly enhances the site.
(14) Voluntary reclamation of abandoned sites
			 or exempt sites.
(15) Voluntary
			 establishment or maintenance of a stream side riparian vegetation buffer which
			 is wider than required and enhances fish and wildlife habitat or watershed
			 health.
Stat. Auth.: ORS
				  517.840(1)(E)
Stats. Implemented: ORS
				  517.840(1)(E)