| 1 | 1 | | 2025 |
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| 2 | 2 | | STATE OF WYOMING |
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| 3 | 3 | | 25LSO-01761HB0059 |
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| 4 | 4 | | HOUSE BILL NO. HB0059 |
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| 5 | 5 | | Limited mining operations-water quality testing. |
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| 6 | 6 | | Sponsored by: Representative(s) Harshman, Campbell, E and |
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| 7 | 7 | | Larson, JT and Senator(s) Anderson, Boner |
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| 8 | 8 | | and Rothfuss |
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| 9 | 9 | | A BILL |
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| 10 | 10 | | for |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1 AN ACT relating to environmental quality; specifying that |
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| 12 | 12 | | 2 the department of environmental quality may conduct water |
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| 13 | 13 | | 3 quality testing before the commencement of limited mining |
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| 14 | 14 | | 4 operations; amending notice requirements for limited mining |
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| 15 | 15 | | 5 operations; requiring rulemaking; and providing for an |
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| 16 | 16 | | 6 effective date. |
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| 17 | 17 | | 7 |
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| 18 | 18 | | 8 |
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| 19 | 19 | | 9 |
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| 20 | 20 | | 10. W.S. 35-11-401(e)(vi)(intro) and by |
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| 21 | 21 | | 11 creating a new subparagraph (H) is amended to read: |
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| 22 | 22 | | 12 |
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| 23 | 23 | | 13 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 14 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01762HB00591 (e) The provisions of this article shall not apply to |
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| 25 | 25 | | 2 any of the following activities: |
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| 26 | 26 | | 3 |
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| 27 | 27 | | 4 (vi) Limited mining operations, whether |
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| 28 | 28 | | 5 commercial or noncommercial, for the removal of sand, |
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| 29 | 29 | | 6 gravel, scoria, limestone, dolomite, shale, ballast or |
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| 30 | 30 | | 7 feldspar from an area of fifteen (15) acres or less of |
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| 31 | 31 | | 8 affected land, excluding roads used to access the mining |
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| 32 | 32 | | 9 operation, if the operator has written permission for the |
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| 33 | 33 | | 10 operation from the owner and lessee, if any, of the |
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| 34 | 34 | | 11 surface. The operator shall notify the land quality |
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| 35 | 35 | | 12 division of the department |
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| 36 | 36 | | 13 of environmental quality and the inspector of mines within |
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| 37 | 37 | | 14 the department of workforce services of the location of the |
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| 38 | 38 | | 15 land to be mined and the postal address of the operator at |
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| 39 | 39 | | 16 least thirty (30) days before commencing operations. A copy |
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| 40 | 40 | | 17 of the notice shall also be mailed to all surface owners |
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| 41 | 41 | | 18 located within one (1) mile of the proposed boundary of the |
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| 42 | 42 | | 19 limited mining operation at least thirty (30) days before |
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| 43 | 43 | | 20 commencing operations. The operator shall notify the land |
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| 44 | 44 | | 21 quality division of the department of environmental quality |
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| 45 | 45 | | 22 of the date of commencement of limited mining operations |
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| 46 | 46 | | 23 within thirty (30) days of commencing operations. Limited 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-01763HB0059 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 1 mining operations authorized under this paragraph are |
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| 48 | 48 | | 2 subject to the following: |
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| 49 | 49 | | 3 |
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| 50 | 50 | | 4 |
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| 51 | 51 | | 5 |
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| 52 | 52 | | 6 |
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| 53 | 53 | | 7 |
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| 54 | 54 | | 8 |
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| 55 | 55 | | 9 |
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| 56 | 56 | | 10 |
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| 57 | 57 | | 11 |
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| 58 | 58 | | 12 |
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| 59 | 59 | | 13 |
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| 60 | 60 | | 14. The environmental quality council, upon |
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| 61 | 61 | | 15 recommendation by the department of environmental quality, |
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| 62 | 62 | | 16 shall promulgate all rules necessary to implement this act. |
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| 63 | 63 | | 17 |
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| 64 | 64 | | 18. This act is effective immediately upon |
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| 65 | 65 | | 19 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law |
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| 66 | 66 | | 20 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming |
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| 67 | 67 | | 21 Constitution. |
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| 68 | 68 | | 22 |
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| 69 | 69 | | 23 (END) |
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