A. An operator who has defaulted on any reclamation obligation and has thereby caused the Fund to incur reclamation expenses shall not be eligible to participate in the Fund thereafter until restitution for such default has been made. Compliance with this requirement shall be a prerequisite to the filing by the operator of any new permit application under this chapter but shall not affect the operator's obligation to comply with all other requirements of this chapter in applying for a permit.
B. The Director may file a motion for judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction against the permittee to recover all moneys expended by the Fund to accomplish a reclamation. Such expenditures shall include construction costs, engineering costs, administrative costs, and legal costs. In any action to recover such costs, the defendant shall not relitigate the facts giving rise to the forfeiture or defend by claiming the forfeiture was improper.
1982, c. 334, § 45.1-270.6; 1987, c. 468; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.