Public Act 097-0991
 
HB5145 EnrolledLRB097 16753 CEL 61928 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Abandoned Mined Lands and Water Reclamation
Act is amended by changing Section 2.11 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 1920/2.11)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 8002.11)
    Sec. 2.11. Non-coal reclamation.
    (a) It is hereby declared that open and abandoned tunnels,
shafts, and entryways and abandoned and deteriorating
equipment, structures, and facilities resulting from any
previous non-coal mining operations constitute a hazard to the
public health and safety. The Department is authorized and
empowered to fill or seal such abandoned tunnels, shafts, and
entryways and remove equipment, structures, and facilities
which it determines could endanger life and property and
constitute a hazard to the public health and safety.
    (b) The Department may make expenditures and carry out the
purposes of this Section for lands mined for substances other
than coal; provided, however, that annual expenditures for
non-coal reclamation do not exceed 2% of the Department's
annual budget for mine land reclamation through August 31,
1999; and provided further, that all obligations for such
expenditures shall be made by August 31, 2001. Except for those
non-coal reclamation projects relating to the protection of the
public health or safety which shall be accorded a high
priority, non-coal reclamation expenditures shall be made only
after all reclamation with respect to abandoned coal lands or
coal development impacts has been accomplished.
    (c) In those instances where coal mine waste piles are
being reworked for conservation purposes, the Department may
make additional incremental expenditures to dispose of the
wastes from such operations by filling voids and sealing
tunnels if the disposal of these wastes is in accordance with
the purposes of this Section.
    (d) The Department shall acquire, by purchase, exchange,
gifts, condemnation or otherwise, the fee simple title or any
lesser interest in and to such land rights or other property as
the Department considers necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Section. Transfers and dispositions of such land shall
be made in the same manner as prescribed by Section 2.07 of
this Act.
    (e) Consistent with this Section, the Department may enter
and reclaim abandoned non-coal mined lands in the same manner
as prescribed in Section 2.04 of this Act.
(Source: P.A. 91-727, eff. 6-2-00.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/17/2012