694 



§ 203. Land stabilization, conservation, and erosion 

 control. 



(a) In order to provide for the control and pre- 

 vention of erosion and sediment damages In the 

 Appalachian region and to promote the conservation 

 and development of the soil and water resources of 

 the region, the Secretary of Agriculture Is authorized 

 to enter Into agreements of not more than ten years 

 with landowners, operators, and occupiers. Individ- 

 ually or collectively. In the Appalachian region de- 

 termined by him to have control for the period of the 

 agreement of the lands described therein, providing 

 for land stabilization, erosion and sediment control, 

 and reclamation through changes in land use, and 

 conservation treatment including the establishment 

 of practices and measures for the conservation and 

 development of soil, water, woodland, wildlife, and 

 recreation resources. 



(b> The landowner, operator, or occupier shall 

 furnish to the Secretary of Agriculture a conserva- 

 tion and development plan setting forth the appro- 

 priate and safe land uses and conservation treat- 

 ment mutually agreed by the Secretary and the 

 landowner operator, or occupier to be needed on the 

 lands for which the plan was prepared. 



(c) Such plan shall be incorporated in an agree- 

 ment under which the landowner, operator, or occu- 

 pier shall agree with the Secretary of Agriculture to 

 carry out the land uses and conservation treatment 

 provided for in such plan on the lands described in 

 the agreement in accordance with the terms and 

 conditions thereof. 



(d> In return for such agreement by the land- 

 owner, operator, or occupier the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture shall be authorized to furnish financial and 

 other assistance to such landowner, operator, or 

 occupier in such amounts and subject to such condi- 

 tions as the Secretary determines are appropriate 

 and in the public interest for the carrying out of the 

 land uses and conservation treatment set forth in 

 the agreement: Provided, That grants hereunder 

 shall not exceed 80 per centum of the cost of carrying 

 out such land uses and conservation treatment on 

 fifty acres of land occupied by such owner, operator, 

 or occupier. 



(e) The Secretary of Agriculture may terminate 

 any agreement with a landowner, operator or oc- 

 cupier by mutual agreement if the Secretary de- 

 termines that such termination would be in the pub- 

 lic interest, and may agree to such modification of 

 agreements previously entered into hereunder as he 

 deems desirable to carry out the purposes of this 

 section or to facilitate the practical administration 

 of the program authorized herein. 



(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, to the extent he deems 

 it desirable to carry out the purposes of this section, 

 may provide in any agreement hereunder for (1) 

 preservation for a period not to exceed the period 

 covered by the agreement and an equal period there- 

 after of the cropland, crop acreage, and allotment 

 history applicable to land covered by the agreement 

 for the purpose of any Federal program under which 

 such history is used as a basis for an allotment or 

 other limitation on the production of such crop; or 

 <2) surrender of any such history and allotments. 



(g) The Secretary of Agriculture shall be author- 

 ized to issue such rules and regulations as he de- 

 termines are necessary to carry out the provisions 

 of this section. 



(h) In carrying out the provisions of this section, 

 the Secretary of Agriculture shall utilize the services 

 of the Soil Conservation Service, and the State and 

 local committees provided for in section 8'b> of the 

 Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, and 

 is authorized to utilize the facilities, services, and au- 

 thorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation. The 

 Corporation shall not make any expenditures to carry 

 out the provisions of this subsection unless funds 

 specifically appropriated for such purpose have been 

 transferred to it. 



(ii Not to exceed $19,000,000 of the funds author- 

 ized in section 401 of this Act for the two-fiscal-year 

 period ending June 30, 1969. shall be available to 

 carry out this section .(As amended Pub L. 90-103, 

 title I, § 108, Oct. 11, 1967, 81 Stat. 260.) 

 References in Text 



Section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic 

 Allotment Act, referred to in subsec. (h). is classified to 

 section 590h(b) of Title 16. Conservation. 



Amendments 

 1967 — Subsec. (1), Pub. L. 90-103 substituted provi- 

 sions for availability of $19,000,000 for two-fiscal-year 

 period ending June 30, 1969, for former provisions for 

 availability of $17,000,000 for period ending June 30, 1967. 

 as provided in former provisions of section 401 of the Act, 



* ¥ ^ * * 



§205. Mining area restoration. 



(a) In order to further the -economic development 

 of the region by rehabilitating areas presently dam- 

 aged by deleterious mining practices, the Secretary 

 of the Interior is authorized to — 



(1) make financial contributions to States in 

 the region to seal and fill voids in abandoned coal 

 mines and abandoned oil and gas wells, and to re- 

 claim and rehabilitate lands affected by the strip 

 and surface mining and processing of coal and 

 other minerals, including lands affected by waste 

 piles, in accordance with provisions of the Act of 

 July 15, 1955 to the extent applicable, without 

 regard to section 2(b) thereof or to any provisions 

 therein limiting assistance to anthracite coal for- 

 mation, or to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; 

 to control and abate mine drainage pollution; and 

 for planning or engineering for any such activi- 

 ties. Grants under this paragraph shall be made 

 wholly out of funds specifically appropriated for 

 the purposes of carrying out this Act. 



(21 plan and execute projects for planning, en- 

 gineering, or extinguishing underground and out- 

 crop mine fires in the region or to make grants to 

 the States for carrying out such projects, in ac- 

 cordance with the applicable provisons of the Act 

 of August 31, 1954, without regard to any pro- 

 visions therein relating in annual appropriation 

 authorization ceilings. Grants under this para- 

 graph shall be made solely out of funds specifically 

 appropriated for the purpose of carrying out this 

 Act. 



(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

 the Federal share of mining area restoration project 



