Tonnage Measurement Simplification Act

(Measure passed Senate, amended)

Transfers from the Secretary of the Treasury to the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, responsibility for measuring vessels by tonnage before such vessels may be documented.

Requires that a vessel be measured if it engages in international voyage by sea, or it is at least 24 meters in length and is self-propelled.

Directs that a vessel not required to be measured by this Act may be measured if requested by the owner.

Specifies instances in which remeasurement shall be required.

Directs the Secretary to issue such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the required measurement of vessels.

Directs that a vessel measured prior to the effective date of this Act shall be considered as having been measured as required by this Act.

Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to extend the date by which: (1) permit applications by surface coal mine operators shall be granted or denied; and (2) Federal environmental protection programs for States, without an acceptable surface coal mining environmental protection program, shall be promulgated.

Requires such State programs to be consistent with regulations issued by the Secretary of the Interior relating to operations on prime farmlands (currently all regulations generally).

States that implementation of a Federal lands program shall coincide with the implementation of a State or Federal surface coal mining environmental protection programs (currently by August 3, 1983)

Makes the States principally responsible for the inspection of mines until the State plan is disapproved by the Secretary.

Requires a prime farmland mining permit for lands mined to the coal face after August 3, 1982 (currently not required if a permit for surface mining operations was issued prior to August 3, 1977).

Sets forth a schedule for the release of bonds or deposits on reclaimed prime farmlands.

Includes registered professional land surveyors within the class of individuals authorized by such Act to perform land surveys and prepare plans, maps, and cross-section maps as required by such Act for all surface mining and reclamation operations.

Requires surface coal mining and reclamation operations to: (1) preserve the essential hydrologic functions of alluvial valley floors; (2) not preclude farming on alluvial valley floors; (3) not cause material damage to the quality or quantity of water in surface or underground water systems that supply alluvial valley floors; (4) ensure that the agricultural utility and the level of productivity of alluvial valley floors in affected areas be reestablished; and (5) be monitored by an environmental monitoring system operated by the permittee on all alluvial valley floors. Specifies the information to be provided by such monitoring.

Directs that such performance standards shall apply only to those lands west of the one hundredth meridian west longitude.