Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

Wyoming House Bill HB0010 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2025
2	2	STATE OF WYOMING
3	3	25LSO-00011HB0010
4	4	HOUSE BILL NO. HB0010
5	5	Limited mining operations-amendments.
6	6	Sponsored by: Joint Minerals, Business & Economic
7	7	Development Interim Committee
8	8	A BILL
9	9	for
10	10	1 AN ACT relating to environmental quality; amending
11	11	2 requirements for the commencement of limited mining
12	12	3 operations; amending bonding, notice and reporting
13	13	4 requirements for limited mining operations; limiting
14	14	5 overburden surface mining operations as specified; amending
15	15	6 requirements for extending limited mining operations;
16	16	7 amending bond release provisions for limited mining
17	17	8 operations; authorizing rulemaking; and providing for
18	18	9 effective dates.
19	19	10
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22	22	13. W.S. 35-11-401(e)(vi)(intro), (B) through
23	23	14 (D), (F), by creating new subparagraphs (H) and (J), (j) 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00012HB0010
24	24	1 and (k) by creating new paragraphs (viii) and (ix),
25	25	2 35-11-417(e) and 35-11-423(b) are amended to read:
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29	29	6 (e) The provisions of this article shall not apply to
30	30	7 any of the following activities:
31	31	8
32	32	9 (vi) Limited mining operations, whether
33	33	10 commercial or noncommercial, for the removal of
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38	38	15 from an area of fifteen (15) acres or less of
39	39	16 affected land, excluding roads used to access the mining
40	40	17 operation, if the operator has written permission for the
41	41	18 operation from the owner and lessee, if any, of the
42	42	19 surface. The operator shall notify the land quality
43	43	20 division of the department of environmental quality and the
44	44	21 inspector of mines within the department of workforce
45	45	22 services of the location of the land to be mined and the
46	46	23 postal address of the operator at least thirty (30) days 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00013HB0010
47	47	1 before commencing operations. A copy of the notice shall
48	48	2 also be mailed to all surface owners located within one (1)
49	49	3 mile of the proposed boundary of the limited mining
50	50	4 operation at least thirty (30) days before commencing
51	51	5 operations. The operator shall notify the land quality
52	52	6 division of the department of environmental quality of the
53	53	7 date of commencement of limited mining operations within
54	54	8 thirty (30) days of commencing operations. Limited mining
55	55	9 operations authorized under this paragraph are subject to
56	56	10 the following:
57	57	11
58	58	12 (B) Before commencing any limited mining
59	59	13 operations, the operator shall file a bond to insure
60	60	14 reclamation in accordance with the purposes of this act
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68	68	22 in the amount of two thousand 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00014HB0010
69	69	1 dollars ($2,000.00) per acre, except
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77	77	9or quarries
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79	79	11 exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) per acre of
80	80	12 affected land, including roads used to access the mining
81	81	13 operation;.
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99	99	9 days after limited mining operations commence,
100	100	10 the administrator may require the operator to post an
101	101	11 additional bond per acre of affected land if he determines
102	102	12 that such amount is necessary to insure reclamation. The
103	103	13 operator shall post the additional bond not later than
104	104	14 days after receipt of such
105	105	15 notification.;
106	106	16
107	107	17 (C) After the limited mining operations
108	108	18 have ceased, the operator shall notify the administrator of
109	109	19 fact
110	110	20 reclamation and
111	111	21 restoration in compliance
112	112	22 with the rules and regulations of the land quality division
113	113	23 of the department of environmental quality. The rules and 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00016HB0010
114	114	1 regulations for reclamation shall at all times be
115	115	2 reasonable;
116	116	3
117	117	4 (D) Immediate reclamation not be
118	118	5 required
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121	121	8 if
122	122	9 the landowner advises the department in writing of his
123	123	10 intent to further utilize the product of the mine, and if
124	124	11 he assumes the obligation of reclamation;
125	125	12
126	126	13 (F) Limited mining operations may continue
127	127	14 for not more than five (5) years from the date of
128	128	15 commencing operations unless a notification to extend
129	129	16 operations is submitted to the land quality division
130	130	17 administrator. Operators shall submit a notification of
131	131	18 extension for every subsequent five (5) year period with
132	132	19 the annual report
133	133	20;
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162	162	4 (j) The council, upon recommendation from the
163	163	5 advisory board through the administrator and director, may
164	164	6 modify or suspend certain requirements of W.S.
165	165	7 35-11-406(a), (b)(i) through (xx), (d), (f) and (g) by
166	166	8 rules and regulations, for surface mining operations
167	167	9 involving not more than thirty-five thousand (35,000) yards
168	168	10 of overburden, excluding topsoil, and ten (10) acres of
169	169	11 affected land in any one (1) year, if the application
170	170	12 requirements ensure reclamation in accordance with the
171	171	13 purposes of this act. Roads used to access a mining
172	172	14 operation permitted under this section shall be excluded
173	173	15 from the annual ten (10) acres of affected land limit, but
174	174	16 shall be included in the permit and bonded for reclamation
175	175	17 liability.
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181	181	23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-00019HB00101
182	182	2 (k) An operator conducting operations pursuant to
183	183	3 W.S. 35-11-401(e)(vi) shall file an annual report with the
184	184	4 administrator on or within thirty (30) days prior to the
185	185	5 anniversary date of the commencement date of initial
186	186	6 operation. The report shall contain:
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221	221	19 (e) When the reclamation plan for any affected land
222	222	20 has been completed, the administrator may recommend to the
223	223	21 director the release of up to seventy-five percent (75%) of
224	224	22 the bond required for that affected land. The remaining
225	225	23 portion of the bond shall be not less than ten thousand 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-000111HB0010
226	226	1 dollars ($10,000.00), and shall be held for a period of at
227	227	2 least five (5) years after the date of reduction to assure
228	228	3 proper revegetation and restoration of groundwater. The
229	229	4 retained portion of the bond may be returned to the
230	230	5 operator at an earlier date if a release signed by the
231	231	6 surface owner and approved by the administrator and
232	232	7 director is obtained.
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241	241	16 (b) The retained portion of the bond may be returned
242	242	17 to the operator at an earlier date if a release signed by
243	243	18 the surface owner and approved by the administrator is
244	244	19 obtained.
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248	248	23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-000112HB00101
249	249	2. The environmental quality council, upon
250	250	3 recommendation by the department of environmental quality,
251	251	4 shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act.
252	252	5
253	253	6
254	254	7
255	255	8 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this
256	256	9 section, this act is effective immediately upon completion
257	257	10 of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided
258	258	11 by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
259	259	12
260	260	13 (b) Section 1 of this act is effective July 1, 2025.
261	261	14
262	262	15 (END)