The provisions of this Article shall not apply to those activities of the Department of Transportation, nor of any person, firm, or corporation acting under contract with the Department of Transportation, on highway rights-of-way or borrow pits maintained solely in connection with the construction, repair, and maintenance of the public road systems of North Carolina; provided, that this exemption shall not become effective until the Department of Transportation shall have adopted reclamation standards applying to such activities and such standards have been approved by the Commission. The provisions of this Article shall not apply to mining on federal lands under a valid permit from the U.S. Forest Service or the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
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