Except as provided for in Subsection A of 19.8.5.501 NMAC on and after 8 months from the date on which a regulatory program for the state is approved by the secretary of the U.S. department of interior, no person shall engage in or carry out surface coal mining and reclamation operations on non-federal lands within the state, unless that person has first obtained a valid permit issued by the director under the approved program.
N.M. Admin. Code § 19.8.5.500