30 CFR § 773.21 - Initial review and finding requirements for improvidently issued permits.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t30/s773.21"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "30 CFR § 773.21 - Initial review and finding requirements for improvidently issued permits."
title_number: 30
title_name: "Mineral Resources"
section_number: "773.21"
section_name: "Initial review and finding requirements for improvidently issued permits."
chapter_name: "OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR"
subchapter_number: "G"
subchapter_name: "SURFACE COAL MINING AND RECLAMATION OPERATIONS PERMITS AND COAL EXPLORATION SYSTEMS UNDER REGULATORY PROGRAMS"
part_number: "773"
part_name: "REQUIREMENTS FOR PERMITS AND PERMIT PROCESSING"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "30 U.S.C. 1201  16 U.S.C. 470  16 U.S.C. 661  16 U.S.C. 703  16 U.S.C. 668a  16 U.S.C. 469  and 16 U.S.C. 1531"
regulatory_source: "48 FR 44391, Sept. 28, 1983, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "773"
---


# 773.21 Initial review and finding requirements for improvidently issued permits.

(a) If we, the regulatory authority, have reason to believe that we improvidently issued a permit to you, the permittee, we must review the circumstances under which the permit was issued. We will make a preliminary finding that your permit was improvidently issued if, under the permit eligibility criteria of the applicable regulations implementing section 510(c) of the Act in effect at the time of permit issuance, your permit should not have been issued because you or your operator owned or controlled a surface coal mining and reclamation operation with an unabated or uncorrected violation.

(b) We will make a finding under paragraph (a) of this section only if you or your operator—

(1) Continue to own or control the operation with the unabated or uncorrected violation;

(2) The violation remains unabated or uncorrected; and

(3) The violation would cause you to be ineligible under the permit eligibility criteria in our current regulations.

(c) When we make a preliminary finding under paragraph (a) of this section, we must serve you with a written notice of the preliminary finding, which must be based on evidence sufficient to establish a *prima facie* case that your permit was improvidently issued.

(d) Within 30 days of receiving a notice under paragraph (c) of this section, you may challenge the preliminary finding by providing us with evidence as to why the permit was not improvidently issued under the criteria in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(e) The provisions of §§ 773.25 through 773.27 of this part apply when a challenge under paragraph (d) of this section concerns a preliminary finding under paragraphs (a) and (b)(1) of this section that you or your operator currently own or control, or owned or controlled, a surface coal mining operation.

[65 FR 79665, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 72 FR 68029, Dec. 3, 2007]