Sand and Gravel Excavation Act Article 7-1

To meet the needs of public works and economic development, the Competent Authority may select locations and designate special zones for sand and gravel excavation after conducting a joint on-site investigation with the water, fisheries, soil and water conservation, transportation, environmental protection, land use and management, and other relevant authorities and obtaining their consent.Where a special zone for sand and gravel excavation is designated by the Competent Authority of the Special Municipality or County (City), the designation shall first be reported to the Central Competent Authority for its consent.Private land within a special zone shall be expropriated by the Competent Authority in accordance with law; public land shall be handled through appropriation procedures.For a special zone, the Competent Authority shall plan the excavation method, conduct, in accordance with law, the environmental impact assessment, the soil and water conservation review, and the procedures for changing non-urban land use zoning and land use designation or amending the urban plan, and shall thereafter publicly announce that applications for Sand and Gravel Excavation Permits will be accepted.Any person applying to excavate sand and gravel within a special zone shall apply for excavation in accordance with the method planned by the Competent Authority, and need not repeat any of the procedures specified in the preceding paragraph.From the time excavation is permitted, the sand and gravel excavator referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be deemed the obligor under the Soil and Water Conservation Act and the developer under the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, and shall carry out the change of developer pursuant to the provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.The owners of the private land referred to in Paragraph 3 may, with the consent of the sand and gravel excavator, use their compensation for expropriation as a capital contribution to become shareholders or partners of the sand and gravel excavator.