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1995 SESSION

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 587 Requesting the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to study the feasibility of using closed coal preparation plants and other coal facilities, including mined lands, for industrial, commercial and residential development.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 1995 Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 1995

WHEREAS, numerous facilities have been built and lands cleared to facilitate the mining of coal; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, the production of and demand for Virginia coal has been decreasing and is projected to decline even further; and

WHEREAS, as mining operations close and relocate to other areas, these coal producing facilities are left unused; and

WHEREAS, the economic impact of the decline in coal production and demand is predominantly felt in southwest Virginia, an area already experiencing economic hardship; and

WHEREAS, closed coal preparation facilities and abandoned mined lands may present significant opportunities for economic development, including industrial, commercial and residential development, as well as job creation; now, therefore, it be

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy be requested to study the feasibility of using closed coal preparation plants and other coal facilities, including mined lands, for industrial, commercial and residential development. The Department shall include in its study a review of current state surface mining and reclamation laws to identify needed changes to facilitate the use of such facilities and lands for economic development.

The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy shall provide staff support for the study. Technical assistance shall be provided by the Department of Economic Development. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, upon request.

The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1996 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.