ECLAMATION OF MINING LANDS:

UNDERGROUND MINING

House Bill 5324

Sponsor:  Rep. Tom Casperson

Committee:  Agriculture and Resource Management

Complete to 3-2-04

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5324 AS INTRODUCED 12-2-03

         The bill would amend Part 631 (Reclamation of Mining Lands) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to add a definition of “underground mining”.  Under the act, “mining area” and “area subjected to mining” are defined to refer to, among other things, an area of land from which material is removed in connection with the production or extraction of minerals by surface or open pit mining methods.  The bill would expand this to also include underground mining methods. 

         The bill would define “underground mining” to mean the mining of more than 10,000 tons of material per year in the regular operation of a business for the purpose of extracting minerals from below the surface of the ground, by means of shafts, tunnels, or other subsurface excavations.  It would not include (1) solution mining by using injection wells and/or extraction wells; (2) the creation of an underground storage cavity using injection wells and/or extraction wells for the purpose of using that cavity in storage operations; or (3) underground tunneling or boring for the purpose of placing utility lines, transportation facilities, or other structures. 

         MCL 324.63101

FISCAL IMPACT:

This bill would not have a fiscal impact on the state or on local governmental units.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   Mark Wolf

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Kirk Lindquist

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.