82-4-424. Receipt and expenditure of funds. (1) The department may receive any federal funds, state funds, or any other funds for the reclamation of land affected by opencut mining. The department may cause the reclamation work to be done by its employees, by employees of other governmental agencies, by soil conservation districts, or through contracts with qualified persons.
     (2) Any funds of any public works programs available to the department must be expended and used to reclaim and rehabilitate any lands that have been subject to opencut mining and that have not been reclaimed and rehabilitated in accordance with the standards of this part.
     (3) There is an opencut mining and reclamation account within the state special revenue fund established in 17-2-102. There must be deposited in the account all fees, fines, penalties, and other money that have been or will be paid under the provisions of this part. The money in the account is available to the department through appropriation and must be spent by the department for the reclamation and revegetation of land, research pertaining to the reclamation and revegetation of land, and the rehabilitation of water affected by opencut mining operations and for administration of this part. Any unspent or unencumbered money in the account at the end of a fiscal year must remain in the account until spent or appropriated by the legislature.

     History: En. Sec. 11, Ch. 326, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 24, Ch. 39, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 50-1511; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 431, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 406, Ch. 418, L. 1995.