The department shall establish a program to assist and pay for the preparation of applications for licensed mine operators otherwise eligible to obtain a permit for remining abandoned mine land, including remining of land subject to bond forfeitures and coal refuse piles. The interim program shall consist of the reimbursement of expenses for the same purposes as set forth in the Small Operator Assistance Program. The Environmental Quality Board may by promulgating regulations expand the scope of the program to include purposes other than the purposes of the Small Operator Assistance Program, including, but not limited to, the reimbursement of expenses for additional information on geology and hydrology and other information necessary to support a remining permit application, but not including drilling and related activities, in order to support a proposal or application. The department may enter into agreements with operators pursuant to the remining operator assistance program only to the extent that funds are available.