§ 745.13 - Authority reserved by the Secretary.

§ 745.13 Authority reserved by the Secretary.

The Secretary shall not delegate to any State, nor shall any cooperative agreement under this part be construed to delegate to any State, authority to -

(a) Designate Federal lands as unsuitable for surface coal mining under subchapter F of this chapter or terminate such designations;

(b) Comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., and Federal laws and regulations other than SMCRA;

(c) Develop land use management plans for Federal lands where the surface estate is federally-owned;

(d) Regulate non-coal mining activities on Federal lands;

(e) Determine when, where, and how to lease Federal coal and how much to lease;

(f) Develop terms for Federal coal leases, including any special terms relating to mining and reclamation procedures;

(g) Evaluate Federal coal resources;

(h) Establish royalties, rents, and bonuses charged in connection with Federal coal leases;

(i) Approve mining plans or modifications thereto;

(j) Enforce Federal lease terms, including diligent development and maximum economic recovery requirements;

(k) Approve or determine post-mining land uses for Federal lands where the surface estate is federally-owned;

(l) Release Federal lease bonds;

(m) Evaluate the State's administration and enforcement of the approved State program and implementation of the cooperative agreement on Federal lands;

(n) Comply with the inspection, enforcement and civil penalties requirements of parts 842 and 843 of this chapter except as provided under § 740.4(c)(5) of this chapter;

(o) Determine whether a person has valid existing rights to conduct surface coal mining operations on Federal lands within the areas specified in § 761.11(a) and (b) of this chapter; or

(p) Issue findings on whether there are significant recreational, timber, economic, or other values that may be incompatible with surface coal mining operations on Federal lands within a national forest, as specified in § 761.11(b) of this chapter.

[48 FR 6939, Feb. 16, 1983, as amended at 64 FR 70831, Dec. 17, 1999]