Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975: exemption: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

(1) The Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 prohibits a person, with exceptions, from conducting surface mining operations unless, among other things, a permit is obtained from, a specified reclamation plan is submitted to and approved by, and financial assurances for reclamation have been approved by the lead agency for the operation of the surface mining operation. The act exempts certain activities from the provisions of the act, including, among others, emergency excavations or grading conducted by the Department of Water Resources or the Central Valley Flood Protection Board for the specified purposes; surface mining operations conducted on lands owned or leased, or upon which easements or rights-of-way have been obtained, by the Department of Water Resources for the purpose of the State Water Resources Development System or flood control; and surface mining operations on lands owned or leased, or upon which easements or rights-of-way have been obtained, by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board for the purpose of flood control. This bill would additionally exempt from the provisions of the act emergency excavations or grading conducted by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the specified purposes and surface mining operations conducted on lands owned or leased, or upon which easements or rights-of-way have been obtained, by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the purpose of repairing, maintaining, or replacing pipelines, infrastructure, or related transmission systems used for the distribution of water in the specified counties. The bill would require the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to provide an annual report to the Department of Conservation and any affected county by the date specified by the department on these surface mining operations. To the extent this bill adds to the duties of local governments acting as a lead agency, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.