(a) The expenditure of funds available for the purposes of this subtitle shall reflect the following priorities in the order stated: (1) The protection of public health, safety, general welfare, and property from extreme danger of adverse effects of coal mining practices; (2) The protection of public health, safety, and general welfare from adverse effects of coal mining practices; (3) The restoration of land and water resources and the environment previously degraded by adverse effects of coal mining practices including measures for the conservation and development of soil, water (excluding channelization), woodland, fish and wildlife, recreation resources, and agricultural productivity; (4) Research and demonstration projects relating to the development of surface mining reclamation and water quality control program methods and techniques; (5) The protection, repair, replacement, construction, or enhancement of public facilities such as utilities, roads, recreation, and conservation facilities adversely affected by coal mining practices; and (6) The development of publicly owned land adversely affected by coal mining practices including land acquired as provided in this article for recreation and historic purposes, conservation, and reclamation purposes and open space benefits. (b) Lands and water eligible for reclamation expenditures under this title are those which were mined for coal, or which were affected by such mining, wastebanks, coal processing, or other coal mining processes and abandoned or left in an inadequate reclamation status prior to August 3, 1977, and lands and water made eligible through amendments to the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 as amended through October 1, 1994, and for which there is no continuing reclamation responsibility under State or federal law.
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