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Bills · 2015-2016 Regular Session

AB 149

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: county authority relating to exploration for a type of industrial sand. (FE)

County Mine and mining Natural resources, department of — Environmental protection

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Assembly, not reached
  3. Passes Senate, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law requires counties to regulate the reclamation of nonmetallic

mining sites. Nonmetallic mining is the extraction of nonmetallic materials,

including stone, gravel, clay, and sand.

This bill authorizes counties to issue licenses for frac sand exploration. Frac

sand is a type of industrial sand that can be used in deep wells to prop open rock

fissures and increase the flow of natural gas or oil. Exploration consists of drilling

holes for the purpose of searching for frac sand or establishing the nature and extent

of a frac sand deposit.

Under the bill, a person who applies to a county for a frac sand exploration

license must submit a bond to ensure that drillholes will be properly filled and proof

that the person has liability insurance covering personal injury and property

damage. The bill requires a licensee to notify the county before beginning drilling

and before filling a drillhole.

The bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide technical

assistance related to frac sand exploration to a county upon request.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Berceau (D) , Billings (D) , Bowen (D) , Brostoff (D) , C. Taylor (D) , Considine (D) , Danou (D) , Goyke (D) , Hebl (D) , Kolste (D) , Ohnstad (D) , Pope (D) , Sinicki (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Subeck (D) , Wachs (D) , Zepnick (D)

8 cosponsors

Bewley (D) , Carpenter (D) , Erpenbach (D) , Lassa (D) , Miller (D) , Risser (D) , Vinehout (D) , Wirch (D)

Votes

Suspending the rules (to take a vote immediately) needs a two-thirds majority — a higher bar than passing the bill, which needs a simple majority. That's why a suspension motion can show more Ayes than the passage vote that follows it. Glossary

Assembly: Refused to suspend rules to withdraw from committee on Mining and Rural Development and take up, Ayes 36, Noes 60

Failed 36–60 Jan 19, 2016 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Full history

  1. Apr 8, 2015 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Danou, Berceau, Billings, Bowen, Brostoff, Considine, Goyke, Hebl, Kolste, Ohnstad, Pope, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Subeck, C. Taylor, Wachs and Zepnick; cosponsored by Senators Vinehout, Bewley, Carpenter, Erpenbach, Lassa, Miller, Risser and Wirch

  2. Apr 8, 2015 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Mining and Rural Development

  3. Apr 17, 2015 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Jan 19, 2016 · Assembly

    Refused to suspend rules to withdraw from committee on Mining and Rural Development and take up, Ayes 36, Noes 60

  5. Apr 13, 2016 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1