1. (a) A plan of operations that describes the activities proposed to take place under an upland mining lease, offshore prospecting permit, or offshore mining lease must be submitted to and approved by the director before activities may occur under the prospecting permit or lease. An approved plan of operations takes the place of the land use permit or miscellaneous land use permit that would be required under this title for unleased land. If proposed lease or permit activities are so minor that they could take place without a land use permit on unleased land, a plan of operations is not required.

2. (b) The plan must show how the operator proposes to comply with performance standards, stipulations, or conditions applicable to the prospecting permit or lease. The proposed plan of operations must address the areas to be mined, location and design of settling ponds, tailings disposal, overburden storage, permanent or temporary diversions of water, access routes, reclamation plans, and other actions necessary to conduct the operation. The plan must include statements and maps or drawings setting out the following, as applicable:

   1. (1) the sequence, schedule, and duration of the proposed operations;
   2. (2) size and purpose of the operations;
   3. (3) number of pieces of equipment and people working on the project;
   4. (4) amount of material to be handled, processed, or removed, and how the material will be processed;
   5. (5) method of tailings disposal;
   6. (6) area of timber to be cleared, amount to be used, and clearing methods;
   7. (7) overland access routes to be used, and whether new roads, landing strips, or other new transportation facilities will be needed;
   8. (8) reclamation that will be carried out, including a timetable for each step in the reclamation, an estimate of the cost, and a description of the measures to ensure that all debris is disposed of in a sound manner;
   9. (9) the actions to be taken to avoid or minimize detrimental effects on fish and wildlife and their habitats;
   10. (10) amount and source of water to be used;
   11. (11) location and size of camp facilities;
   12. (12) any site the operator wants the division to close to public access in order to protect public safety or to prevent unreasonable interference with the rights of the operator;
   13. (13) how the operator's plans for compliance with other applicable laws and regulations, including size and location of required facilities or improvements, will affect resources under the jurisdiction of the department; and
   14. (14) any additional information required by the director to assist in evaluating the proposed plan of operations.
3. (c) Any geological, geophysical, or engineering data supplied by the applicant as part of the plan of operations will be kept confidential at the applicant's request. Confidential data must be clearly identified by the applicant and separated from information not qualifying as confidential.
4. (d) The plan of operations may cover up to a ten-year period. If the approved work is not completed before the end of the stated period, the director will, in his or her discretion, allow an extension rather than requiring a new plan to be filed. An amendment must be filed for approval if the operator wants to deviate significantly from the approved plan. If the time period the operator chooses to cover in the plan is less than the intended life of the mine, the plan must show how the proposed operations relate to subsequent operations.
5. (e) The plan must be submitted to the department at least 50 days before operations under the prospecting permit or lease are proposed to begin. Before operations may begin, the plan must be approved in writing by the division after consulting with the Department of Fish and Game, Department of Environmental Conservation, and other affected agencies.
6. (f) For the operator's convenience, the proposed plan may include information needed to apply for approvals from other departments or local and federal agencies under other applicable laws and regulations, such as effects of the operation on air and water quality, disposal of toxic wastes, effects on navigation, and effects on anadromous fish habitat.

(Eff. 5/30/85, Register 94)