Bills · 2013-2014 Regular Session

AB 1

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: regulation of ferrous metallic mining and related activities, procedures for obtaining approvals from the Department of Natural Resources for the construction of utility facilities, making an appropriation, and providing penalties. (FE)

Electric utility Electricity Flood plain zoning Mine and mining Natural resources, department of — Environmental protection Public service commission Shoreland zoning Taxation Water — Pollution Waterways and water power Wells Wetland

Introduced, stopped here
Passes Assembly, not reached
Passes Senate, not reached
Governor signs, not reached
Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Overview

This bill makes changes in the laws relating to the regulation of iron mining.

Iron mining, generally

Under current law, DNR regulates mining for metallic minerals. The laws

under which DNR regulates metallic mining apply to mining for ferrous minerals

(iron) and mining for nonferrous minerals, such as copper or zinc.

This bill creates new statutes for regulating iron mining and modifies the

current laws regulating metallic mining so that they cover only mining for

nonferrous minerals.

Under current law, a person who proposes to mine for metallic minerals must

obtain a mining permit and any other permit, license, certification, or other

authorization (approval) that is required under the environmental and natural

resources laws, other than the mining laws, for example, wastewater discharge

permits, high capacity well approvals, and permits for discharges into wetlands.

Under the bill, a person who proposes to mine for iron ore must obtain an iron

mining permit. The person must obtain some of the approvals under other

environmental and natural resources laws, for example, wastewater discharge

permits, but the bill provides approvals specific to iron mining in lieu of some current

approvals, for example, high capacity well approvals and permits for discharges into

wetlands. The standards and procedures for granting, and the requirements related

to, an iron mining permit and the other approvals specific to iron mining differ in

some respects from the standards, procedures, and requirements under current law,

as described below.

Current law requires DNR to promulgate rules specifying standards for

metallic mining and for the reclamation of mining sites. The rules relating to mining

must contain standards for grading and stabilization, backfilling, vegetative cover,

prevention of pollution resulting from leaching of waste materials, and prevention

of significant environmental pollution. The rules relating to reclamation must

contain provisions for disposal of wastes in disposal facilities licensed under the solid

waste laws or otherwise in an environmentally sound manner, for management of

runoff so as to prevent soil erosion, flooding, and water pollution, and for

minimization of disturbance to wetlands. DNR has promulgated rules on these

matters.

The bill places standards for iron mining and for the reclamation of iron mining

sites in the statutes, rather than requiring rule-making. The standards in the bill

are similar in many respects to DNR's current rules and are less stringent in other

respects.

Current law prohibits DNR from issuing a permit for metallic mining in a

sulfide ore body (a mineral deposit in which metals are mixed with sulfide minerals)

unless it finds, based on information provided by the applicant, that two conditions

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs