The chief of the division of mineral resources management, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may purchase or acquire by gift, donation, or contribution any eroded land, including land affected by strip mining, for which no cash is held in the reclamation forfeiture fund created by section 1513.18 of the Revised Code. For this purpose the chief may expend money deposited in the mining regulation and safety fund created by section 1513.30 of the Revised Code. All lands purchased or acquired shall be deeded to the state, but no deed shall be accepted or the purchase price paid until the title has been approved by the attorney general.
R.C. § 1513.20