MINING ACT 1992 - SECT 67
Recovery of public money expended on testing for minerals or research
MINING ACT 1992 - SECT 67
Recovery of public money expended on testing for minerals or research
67 Recovery of public money expended on testing for minerals or research
(1) If public money has been expended--
(a) in the course of testing any land
(by way of drilling or otherwise) for the mineral bearing capacity of the
land, or
(b) in the course of conducting an environmental impact study or
other research program in connection with the proper assessment of any
application for a mining lease that has been or may be made in respect of any
land,
the Minister may, by notice in writing, require any applicant for a
mining lease over the land or any part of the land to reimburse the
Government, within the time specified in the notice, for the money, or any
part of the money, so expended.
(2) The applicant may elect to pay--
(a) a
lump sum of the amount specified in the notice as being the proportion of the
cost (at current market rates) of carrying out the testing, impact study or
research program that the Minister determines should be paid by the applicant,
or
(b) instalments (of such amounts and paid at such times as may be
specified in the notice) totalling the amount referred to in paragraph (a).
(3) It is a condition of any mining lease granted to an applicant who has been
required to reimburse the Government under this section that any amount that
remains unpaid as at the time the lease takes effect is to be paid to the
Minister in accordance with the election made by the applicant.
(4) If public
money has been expended in connection with several parcels of land, the amount
so expended is to be apportioned among them in such manner as the Minister
thinks fit.