PRINTER'S NO. 973
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
763
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY BARTOLOTTA, STEFANO AND LANGERHOLC, JUNE 14, 2019
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, JUNE 14, 2019
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 27, 1966 (1st Sp.Sess., P.L.31, No.1),
entitled "An act to protect the public health, welfare and
safety by regulating the mining of bituminous coal; declaring
the existence of a public interest in the support of surface
structures; providing a remedy for the restoration or
replacement of water supplies affected by underground mining;
providing a remedy for the restoration or replacement or
compensation for surface structures damaged by underground
mining; providing standards for the prevention of hazards to
human safety and material damage to certain structures;
requiring permits, and in certain circumstances bonds, for
the mining of bituminous coal; providing for the filing of
maps or plans with recorders of deeds; providing for the
giving of notice of mining operations to political
subdivisions and surface landowners of record; requiring mine
inspectors to accompany municipal officers and their agents
on inspection trips; granting powers to public officers and
affected property owners to enforce the act; requiring
grantors to certify as to whether any structures on the lands
conveyed are entitled to support from the underlying coal and
grantees to sign an admission of a warning of the possible
lack of any such right of support; requiring grantors to
provide notice of the existence of voluntary agreements for
the restoration or replacement of water supplies or for the
repair or compensation for structural damage; imposing duties
on the Department of Environmental Resources for the
compilation and analysis of data; and imposing liability for
violation of the act," further providing for compilation and
analysis of data.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 18.1 of the act of April 27, 1966 (1st
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Sp.Sess., P.L.31, No.1), known as The Bituminous Mine Subsidence
and Land Conservation Act, is amended to read:
Section 18.1. Compilation and analysis of data.--(a) The
department shall compile, on an ongoing basis, the information
contained in deep mine permit applications, in monitoring
reports and other data submitted by operators, from enforcement
actions and from any other appropriate source for the purposes
set forth below.
(b) Such data shall be analyzed by the department,
[utilizing] which may utilize the services of professionals or
institutions recognized in the field, provided there is a cost
benefit in doing so, for the purpose of determining, to the
extent possible, [the effects of deep mining on subsidence of
surface structures and features and on water resources,
including sources of public and private water supplies]
compliance with the requirements of this act.
(c) The analysis of such data and any relevant findings
[shall] may be presented in report form to the Governor[, the
General Assembly and to the Citizens Advisory Council of the
department at five-year intervals commencing in 1993.] and the
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Senate and
the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the House of
Representatives every five years commencing in 2025.
(d) Nothing contained herein shall be construed as
authorizing the department to require a mine operator to submit
additional information or data, except that it shall require
reporting of all water loss incidents or claims of water loss.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20190SB0763PN0973 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28