A. The licensed operator of each mine or his agent shall annually, by February 15, mail or deliver to the Department a report for the 12 months ending prior to the preceding January 1. Such report shall state (i) the names of the licensed operator, any agent, and their officers of the mine; (ii) the amount of minerals mined; (iii) any changes in the information required to be part of the license application by subsection A of § 45.2-1126; and (iv) any other information, not of a private nature, that from time to time is required by the Department on forms furnished or approved by the Department.
B. Each independent contractor who is working or has worked at a mine during the preceding 12 months shall annually, by February 15, mail or deliver to the Department a report for the 12 months ending prior to the preceding January 1. Such report shall state (i) the independent contractor's name and Department identification number; (ii) the number of the independent contractor's employees who worked at each mine, listed by mine name and license number; (iii) the number of the independent contractor's employee hours worked at each mine, listed by mine name and license number; and (iv) the lump sum amount of wages paid by the independent contractor at each mine, if such amount is above $1,000, listed by mine name and license number.
C. For purposes of subsection B, "independent contractor" means any (i) extraction or processing contractor, including a driller, blaster, portable crusher, or stripping or land clearing contractor; (ii) maintenance or repair contractor for mobile or stationary extraction or processing equipment, including a welder, mechanic, painter, or electrician; and (iii) construction contractor involved in mine site construction maintenance or repair, including a plant construction contractor, concrete fabricator, or equipment erector.
D. If the owner of a mine transfers the ownership of such mine to another person, the person transferring such ownership shall submit a report to the Department of such change and a statement of the amount of minerals produced since the January 1 prior to the date of such transfer of ownership. No license shall be issued covering such transfer of ownership until the report is furnished.
E. All wage information contained in any report filed with the Department pursuant to this section shall be exempt from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.) and shall not be published or made open to public inspection in any manner revealing the employing unit's identity. However, such information may be disclosed to the Director or his authorized representative concerned with carrying out any provisions of this title. Wage data aggregated so as to not reveal the employing unit's identity shall not be exempt from such disclosure.
1997, c. 390, § 45.1-161.292:35; 1998, c. 695; 2000, c. 974; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.