SB1-SSA2,114,87 2. The person convicted is a related person or an officer or director of the
8applicant with whom the applicant terminates its relationship.
SB1-SSA2,114,119 3. The applicant included in its permit application under s. 295.47 a plan to
10prevent the occurrence in this state of events similar to the events that directly
11resulted in the convictions.
SB1-SSA2,114,1612 (f) Subject to sub. (3), that the applicant or a related person has, within 10 years
13before the application is submitted, declared bankruptcy or undergone dissolution
14that resulted in the failure to reclaim a mining site in the United States in violation
15of a state or federal law and that failure has not been remedied and is not being
16remedied.
SB1-SSA2,114,2117 (g) Subject to sub. (3), that, within 10 years before the application is submitted,
18a mining permit or other authorization for mining issued to the applicant or a related
19person was permanently revoked because of a failure to reclaim a mining site in the
20United States in violation of state or federal law and that failure has not been and
21is not being remedied.
SB1-SSA2,115,4 22(3) Exception from denial criteria. The department may not deny a mining
23permit under sub. (2) (d) to (g) if the person subject to the convictions, forfeiture,
24permanent revocation, bankruptcy, or dissolution is a related person but the
25applicant shows that the person was not the parent corporation of the applicant, a

1person that holds more than a 30 percent ownership in the applicant, or a subsidiary
2or affiliate of the applicant in which the applicant holds more than a 30 percent
3interest at the time of the convictions, forfeiture, permanent revocation, bankruptcy,
4or dissolution.
SB1-SSA2,115,7 5(4) Statement. The department shall send a statement as to whether the
6applicant has satisfied the requirements of this subchapter to the applicant and to
7the other persons specified in s. 295.57 (4) (b) 1. to 9.
SB1-SSA2,115,9 8(5) Duration of approvals. (a) A mining permit is valid for the life of the
9mining project, subject to the enforcement provisions under s. 295.79.
SB1-SSA2,115,1110 (b) An approval under s. 295.60 or 295.61 remains valid for the life of the mining
11project, subject to the enforcement provisions under s. 295.79.
SB1-SSA2,115,1512 (c) An approval issued for a mining project under ch. 23, 29, 30, 31, 169, 281,
13283, 285, 289, or 291, except for a permit under ch. 283 or 285 that is subject to a
14federal requirement limiting its duration, remains valid for the life of the mining
15project, subject to the enforcement provisions applicable to the approval.
SB1-SSA2,115,17 16(6) Effective date of approvals. A mining permit and any other approval is
17issued upon mailing and is final and effective upon issuance.
SB1-SSA2,115,22 18(7) Merchantable by-products. In a mining permit, the department shall
19require the operator to treat merchantable by-products as refuse if after 3 years from
20the time the merchantable by-products result from or are displaced by mining the
21material has not been transported off the mining site, unless removal is continuing
22at a rate of more than 12,000 cubic yards per year.
SB1-SSA2,116,5 23(8) General contractor or affiliate. No operator may engage a general
24contractor or affiliate to operate a mining site if the general contractor or affiliate has
25been convicted of more than one felony for violation of a law for the protection of the

1natural environment arising out of the operation of a mining site in the United States
2within 10 years before the issuance of the operator's mining permit, unless the
3general contractor or affiliate receives the department's approval of a plan to prevent
4the occurrence in this state of events similar to the events that directly resulted in
5the convictions.
SB1-SSA2,116,9 6295.59 Bonds and other security. (1) Security for reclamation. (a) Upon
7notification that an application for a mining permit has been approved by the
8department but before beginning mining, the operator shall furnish one of the
9following to the department:
SB1-SSA2,116,1210 1. A bond, furnished by a surety company licensed to do business in this state,
11conditioned on faithful performance of all of the requirements of this subchapter and
12all rules adopted by the department under this subchapter.
SB1-SSA2,116,1313 2. Cash.
SB1-SSA2,116,1414 3. Certificates of deposit.
SB1-SSA2,116,1515 4. Government securities.
SB1-SSA2,116,1716 (b) The department shall pay to the operator interest received on certificates
17of deposit or government securities furnished under par. (a).
SB1-SSA2,117,218 (c) The operator shall furnish the security required under par. (a) in the amount
19equal to the estimated cost to the state of fulfilling the reclamation plan, other than
20the cost of long-term care of the mining waste site, in relation to the portion of the
21mining site that will be disturbed by the end of the following year. The department
22shall determine the estimated cost of reclamation of each mining site on the basis of
23relevant factors, including the character and nature of the lands to be reclaimed, the
24future suitable use of the land involved, the topography of the mining site, the

1methods of reclamation being employed, the depth and composition of overburden,
2and the depth of the ferrous mineral deposit being mined.
SB1-SSA2,117,10 3(2) Certificate of insurance. The operator shall submit a certificate of
4insurance certifying that the applicant has in force a liability insurance policy issued
5by an insurer authorized to do business in this state or, in lieu of a certificate of
6insurance, evidence that the applicant has satisfied state or federal self-insurance
7requirements, covering all mining operations of the operator in this state and
8affording personal injury and property damage protection in a total amount
9determined to be adequate by the department but not more than $1,000,000 and not
10less than $50,000.
SB1-SSA2,117,16 11(2m) Proof of financial responsibility for long-term care of mining waste
12site.
An operator shall maintain proof of financial responsibility ensuring the
13availability of funds for compliance with the long-term care requirements specified
14in the waste site feasibility study and plan of operation for a period of 40 years after
15closing of the mining waste site. The operator shall furnish the proof of financial
16responsibility to the department in one of the following forms:
SB1-SSA2,117,1717 (a) A bond.
SB1-SSA2,117,1818 (b) Cash.
SB1-SSA2,117,1919 (c) Certificates of deposit.
SB1-SSA2,117,2020 (d) Government securities.
SB1-SSA2,117,2121 (e) Insurance.
SB1-SSA2,118,2 22(3) Written authorization to mine. Upon approval of the operator's bonds or
23other security under subs. (1) and (2m), mining application, and certificate of
24insurance, the department shall issue written authorization to begin mining at the

1permitted mining site in accordance with the approved mining plan, reclamation
2plan, and mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation.
SB1-SSA2,118,12 3(4) Reclamation bond for more than one mining site. Any operator who
4obtains mining permits from the department for 2 or more mining sites may elect,
5at the time that the mining permit for the 2nd or any subsequent mining site is
6approved, to post a single bond under sub. (1) in lieu of separate bonds for each
7mining site. An operator who chooses to post a single bond under this subsection
8shall post a bond in an amount equal to the estimated cost to the state determined
9under sub. (1) of reclaiming all mining sites the operator has under mining permits.
10When an operator elects to post a single bond in lieu of separate bonds previously
11posted on individual mining sites, the department may not release the separate
12bonds until the department accepts the new bond.
SB1-SSA2,118,17 13(5) Review of amounts. If an operator disagrees with the amount of the bonds
14or other security that the department requires under this section, the operator may
15seek review under s. 295.77 (3) of the amount required. The operator may post a bond
16or other security in the amount required by the department and begin mining
17without forfeiting its right to seek review.
SB1-SSA2,118,18 18295.60 Impacts to wetlands. (1) Definitions. In this section:
SB1-SSA2,118,2119 (a) "Artificial wetland" means a landscape feature where hydrophytic
20vegetation may be present as a result of human modifications to the landscape or
21hydrology and for which there is no prior wetland or stream history.
SB1-SSA2,118,2422 (b) "Ceded territory" means the territory in Wisconsin ceded by the Chippewa
23Indians to the United States in the treaty of 1837, 7 Stat. 536, and the treaty of 1842,
247 Stat. 591.
SB1-SSA2,119,2
1(c) "Federal wetland" means a wetland that is subject to federal jurisdiction
2under 33 USC 1344.
SB1-SSA2,119,43 (d) "Fill material" has the meaning given in 33 CFR 323.2 (e), as the meaning
4exists on July 1, 2012.
SB1-SSA2,119,65 (e) "Mitigation" means the restoration, enhancement, creation, or preservation
6of wetlands to compensate for adverse impacts to other wetlands.
SB1-SSA2,119,107 (f) "Mitigation bank" means a system of accounting for wetland loss and
8compensation that includes one or more sites where wetlands are restored,
9enhanced, created, or preserved to provide credits to be subsequently applied or
10purchased in order to compensate for adverse impacts to other wetlands.
SB1-SSA2,119,1211 (g) "On-site location" means a location that is on a mining site or within
12one-half mile of an outer boundary of a mining site.
SB1-SSA2,119,1613 (h) "Practicable" means reasonably available and capable of being
14implemented after taking into consideration cost, site availability, available
15technology, logistics, and proximity to the proposed project site, in light of the overall
16purpose and scope of the project.
SB1-SSA2,119,1817 (i) "Water basin" means the Lake Michigan basin, the Lake Superior basin, or
18the Mississippi River basin or other water basin established by the department.
SB1-SSA2,119,2019 (j) "Water management unit" means a subdivision of a water basin that is
20established on a hydrological basis by the department.
SB1-SSA2,119,2221 (k) "Water quality standard" means a wetland water quality standard specified
22under sub. (5) or any other water quality standard set by rule under s. 281.15.
SB1-SSA2,119,2323 (L) "Wetland impact evaluation" means an evaluation of impacts to a wetland.
SB1-SSA2,120,2 24(1m) Applicability. Subsections (2) to (11) do not apply to a wetland individual
25permit or other approval that requires a wetland impact evaluation if the operator

1files the application for the wetland individual permit or other approval after the
2department issues the mining permit for the mining operation.
SB1-SSA2,120,16 3(2) Wetland determinations and delineations. For purposes of this section,
4wetland determinations and wetland boundary delineations shall be consistent with
5the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1987 Wetlands Delineation Manual and any final
6regional supplement to the manual. Any owner or lessee of land, or a holder of an
7easement in land, may request that the department provide a wetland determination
8or wetland boundary delineation for an application for a wetland individual permit
9under this section or for another approval for which a wetland impact evaluation is
10required. The department may rely on wetland determinations and wetland
11boundary delineations made by other agencies and consultants. If the applicant has
12provided information to the department that is identified in the manual or any final
13regional supplement as being sufficient to make a wetland determination or a
14delineation of boundaries, the department may visit a mining site to conduct surveys
15or gather additional site-specific quantitative data provided that the department
16does not discontinue the processing of the application to do so.
SB1-SSA2,120,19 17(3) Scope; discharges; other impacts. (a) Scope. Except as otherwise provided
18under this section, this section applies to wetland individual permits and any other
19approvals for which wetland impact evaluations are required.
SB1-SSA2,121,520 (b) Discharges of dredged or fill material. No person may discharge dredged
21material or fill material associated with a mining operation or bulk sampling unless
22the discharge is authorized under a wetland individual permit issued under this
23section or under a wetland general permit issued under s. 281.36 (3g). The
24department may not issue a wetland individual permit unless it makes a finding
25under sub. (6) (a) that the discharge will comply with all applicable water quality

1standards. Section 281.36 (3g) and (11), and the rules promulgated under s. 281.36
2(3g) and (11), apply to authorizations to proceed under general permits.
3Notwithstanding s. 281.36 (3g) (h) 2., a person receiving authorization to proceed
4under a wetland general permit for a mining activity other than bulk sampling may
5not proceed until a mining permit is issued.
SB1-SSA2,121,96 (c) Other impacts. For an approval which requires a wetland impact evaluation
7for an activity other than a discharge of dredged material or fill material, the
8approval may not be issued unless the department determines that the activity will
9comply with all applicable water quality standards.
SB1-SSA2,121,15 10(4) Review by department. (a) Avoidance or minimization of impacts. When
11applying for a wetland individual permit or for another approval for which a wetland
12impact evaluation is required, an applicant shall include in the application an
13analysis of the practicable alternatives that will avoid and minimize the adverse
14impacts on wetland functional values and that will not result in any other significant
15adverse environmental consequences.
SB1-SSA2,121,2116 (b) Practicable alternatives. The department shall review the analysis of
17practicable alternatives included in the application under par. (a). The department
18shall limit its review to those practicable alternatives that are located at the site of
19the discharge or other activity and that are located adjacent to that site if the
20applicant has demonstrated that the proposed project causing the discharge or other
21activity will result in a demonstrable economic public benefit.
SB1-SSA2,121,2422 (c) Assessing impacts. In its review under this subsection, the department shall
23consider all of the following factors when it assesses the impacts to wetland
24functional values;
SB1-SSA2,122,2
11. The direct impacts of the proposed discharge or other activity to wetland
2functional values.
SB1-SSA2,122,63 2. The cumulative impacts attributable to the proposed discharge or other
4activity that may occur to wetland functional values based on past impacts or
5reasonably anticipated impacts caused by similar discharges or activities in the area
6affected by the discharge or activity.
SB1-SSA2,122,87 3. Potential secondary impacts of the proposed discharge or other activity to
8wetland functional values.
SB1-SSA2,122,109 4. The impact on functional values resulting from the mitigation program
10under sub. (8)
SB1-SSA2,122,1111 5. The net positive or negative environmental impact of the mining operation.
SB1-SSA2,122,1512 (d) Assessing impacts; geographical scope. In its review under this subsection,
13the department shall evaluate whether the discharge or other activity will result in
14a significant adverse impact to wetland functional values by doing all of the
15following:
SB1-SSA2,122,1916 1. Comparing the functional values of the wetland with other wetlands located
17within the boundaries of the mining site or within the same water management unit
18as the mining site and with other waters of the state that are located in the same
19water management unit.
SB1-SSA2,122,2120 2. Taking into consideration the floristic province in which the mining site is
21located.
SB1-SSA2,123,222 (e) Method for assessing impacts. In issuing a wetland individual permit under
23this section or in conducting a wetland impact evaluation, the department shall
24determine the impact of a proposed discharge or other activity upon the wetland
25functional values by using wetland ecological evaluation methods that are jointly

1accepted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the department and that are
2appropriate to the affected wetland.
SB1-SSA2,123,43 (f) General permits. Paragraphs (a) to (e) do not apply to authorizations to
4proceed under a general permit issued under s. 281.36 (3g).
SB1-SSA2,123,7 5(5) Wetland water quality standards. The following wetland water quality
6standards apply to any wetland individual permit issued under this section or to any
7wetland impact evaluation:
SB1-SSA2,123,128 (a) Adverse impacts to the functional values and water quality of wetlands and
9adverse impacts to other waters of the state that are influenced by wetlands shall be
10minimized, and any significant adverse impacts remaining after minimization shall
11be subject to a mitigation program under sub. (8). For purposes of this section,
12functional values consist of all of the following:
SB1-SSA2,123,1413 1. Storm and flood water storage and retention and the moderation of water
14level fluctuation extremes.
SB1-SSA2,123,1715 2. Hydrologic functions including the maintenance of dry season streamflow,
16the discharge of groundwater to a wetland, the recharge of groundwater from a
17wetland to another area, and the flow of groundwater through a wetland.
SB1-SSA2,123,1918 3. Filtration or storage of sediments, nutrients, or toxic substances that would
19otherwise adversely impact the quality of waters of the state.
SB1-SSA2,123,2120 4. Shoreline protection against erosion through the dissipation of wave energy
21and water velocity and anchoring of sediments.
SB1-SSA2,123,2522 5. Habitat for aquatic organisms in the food web including fish, crustaceans,
23mollusks, insects, annelids, and planktonic organisms and the plants and animals
24upon which these aquatic organisms feed and depend upon for their needs in all life
25stages.
SB1-SSA2,124,3
16. Habitat for resident and transient wildlife species, including mammals,
2birds, reptiles, and amphibians, for breeding, resting, nesting, escape cover, travel
3corridors, and food.
SB1-SSA2,124,54 7. Recreational, cultural, educational, scientific, and natural scenic beauty
5values and uses.
SB1-SSA2,124,96 (b) All of the following shall be minimized in order to avoid significant adverse
7impacts for the purpose of maintaining or enhancing the wetland functional values
8identified under par. (a), and any minimization of the following must be taken into
9account in the department's evaluation of significant adverse impacts:
SB1-SSA2,124,1010 1. The use of liquids, fill, or other solids or gases.
SB1-SSA2,124,1111 2. The presence of floating or submerged debris, oil, or other material.
SB1-SSA2,124,1212 3. The use of materials producing color, odor, taste, or unsightliness.
SB1-SSA2,124,1413 4. The presence of concentrations or combinations of substances that are toxic
14or harmful to human, animal, or plant life.
SB1-SSA2,124,1715 5. Adverse effects on hydrological conditions necessary to support the biological
16and physical characteristics that are naturally present in wetlands. For purposes
17of this subdivision, the hydrological conditions include all of the following:
SB1-SSA2,124,1818 a. Water currents and erosion and sedimentation patterns.
SB1-SSA2,124,1919 b. Water temperature variations.
SB1-SSA2,124,2020 c. The chemical, nutrient, and dissolved oxygen regime of the wetland.
SB1-SSA2,124,2121 d. The movement of aquatic fauna.
SB1-SSA2,124,2222 e. The pH of the wetland.
SB1-SSA2,124,2323 f. Water levels or elevations.
SB1-SSA2,124,2524 6. Adverse effects on existing habitat and populations of animals and
25vegetation found in wetlands.
SB1-SSA2,125,4
1(6) Decision by department. (a) The department shall make a finding that a
2a discharge of dredged material or fill material is in compliance with all applicable
3water quality standards and shall issue a wetland individual permit if the
4department determines that all of the following apply:
SB1-SSA2,125,75 1. The proposed project of which the discharge is a part represents the least
6environmentally damaging practicable alternative taking into consideration
7practicable alternatives that avoid wetland impacts.
SB1-SSA2,125,98 2. All practicable measures to minimize the adverse impacts to wetland
9functional values will be taken.
SB1-SSA2,125,1210 3. The proposed discharge will not result in significant adverse impact to
11wetland functional values, subject to par. (b); in significant adverse impact to water
12quality; or in other significant adverse environmental consequences.
SB1-SSA2,125,1713 (b) Notwithstanding par. (a) 3., if significant adverse impacts to wetland
14functional values will remain after the adverse impacts have been avoided and
15minimized to the extent practicable, the department shall issue the permit if the
16department determines that the remaining impacts will be compensated for under
17a mitigation program under sub. (8).
SB1-SSA2,125,2118 (c) The department may not deny an approval for an activity for which a
19wetland impact evaluation is required, other than a discharge of dredged material
20or fill material, on the basis of the impacts from the activity on wetlands if the
21department determines that all of the following apply:
SB1-SSA2,125,2422 1. The proposed project of which the activity is a part represents the least
23environmentally damaging practicable alternative taking into consideration
24practicable alternatives that avoid wetland impacts.
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