AB 917

This bill eliminates changes made to the regulation of sulfide ore mining, iron

ore mining, wetlands, and shoreland zoning under various enactments since 2013

and restores Department of Natural Resources scientist and educator positions

eliminated in

2015 Wisconsin Act 55

.

Sulfide ore moratorium

This bill reinstates the prerequisite for issuing sulfide ore mining permits that

existed prior to

2017 Wisconsin Act 134

. Under the bill, DNR may not issue any

permits for the purpose of mining a sulfide ore body until DNR determines that 1)

there is a mining operation in a potentially acid-generating sulfide ore body in the

United States or Canada that has been in operation for at least ten years without

resulting in the pollution of groundwater or surface water from acid drainage or from

the release of heavy metals; and 2) there is a mining operation that operated in a

potentially acid-generating sulfide ore body in the United States or Canada that has

been closed for at least ten years without resulting in the pollution of groundwater

or surface water from acid drainage or from the release of heavy metals.

Iron mining and bulk sampling

This bill changes the laws under which DNR currently regulates mining so that

the laws are substantially the same as they existed before enactment of

2013

Wisconsin Act 1

,

2013 Wisconsin Act 81

, and

2017 Wisconsin Act 134

.

Under current law, DNR regulates mining for metallic minerals. Prior to the

enactment of

2013 Wisconsin Act 1

, the laws under which DNR regulated metallic

mining applied to mining for ferrous and nonferrous minerals.

2013 Wisconsin Act

1

modified the laws regulating metallic mining so that they applied to mining for

nonferrous minerals only and created new laws for regulating mining for ferrous

minerals.

Under current law, certain forested land may be designated as managed forest