SB1-SSA2,32,17 16(19) "Fill area" means an area proposed to receive or that is receiving direct
17application of mining waste.
SB1-SSA2,32,19 18(20) "Freeboard" means the height of the top of a dam above the adjacent liquid
19surface within the impoundment.
SB1-SSA2,32,21 20(21) "Groundwater" means any of the waters of the state occurring in a
21saturated subsurface geological formation of rock or soil.
SB1-SSA2,32,23 22(22) "Groundwater quality" means the chemical, physical, biological, thermal,
23or radiological quality of groundwater at a site or within an underground aquifer.
SB1-SSA2,33,2 24(23) "Groundwater quality standards" means numerical values consisting of
25enforcement standards and preventive action limits contained in Table 1 of s. NR

1140.10, and Table 2 of s. NR 140.12, Wis. Adm. Code, and any preventive action limits
2for indicator parameters identified under s. NR 140.20 (2), Wis. Adm. Code.
SB1-SSA2,33,5 3(24) "Leachate" means water or other liquid that has been contaminated by
4dissolved or suspended materials due to contact with refuse disposed of on the
5mining site.
SB1-SSA2,33,12 6(25) "Merchantable by-product" means all waste soil, rock, mineral, liquid,
7vegetation, and other material directly resulting from or displaced by the mining,
8cleaning, or preparation of minerals, during mining operations, that are determined
9by the department to be marketable upon a showing of marketability made by the
10operator, accompanied by a verified statement by the operator of his or her intent to
11sell the material within 3 years from the time it results from or is displaced by
12mining.
SB1-SSA2,33,18 13(26) "Mining" means all or part of the process involved in the mining of a
14ferrous mineral, other than for exploration, including commercial extraction,
15agglomeration, beneficiation, construction of roads, removal of overburden, and the
16production of refuse, involving the removal of more than 15,000 tons of earth
17material a year in the regular operation of a business for the purpose of extracting
18a ferrous mineral.
SB1-SSA2,33,19 19(27) "Mining permit" means the permit under s. 295.58.
SB1-SSA2,33,22 20(28) "Mining plan" means a proposal for mining on a mining site, including a
21description of the systematic activities to be used for the purpose of extracting
22ferrous minerals.
SB1-SSA2,34,2 23(29) "Mining site" means the surface area disturbed by mining, including the
24surface area from which the ferrous minerals or refuse or both have been removed,
25the surface area covered by refuse, all lands disturbed by the construction or

1improvement of haulageways, and any surface areas in which structures,
2equipment, materials, and any other things used in the mining are situated.
SB1-SSA2,34,10 3(30) "Mining waste" means tailings, waste rock, mine overburden, waste
4treatment sludges, or other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi-solid,
5or contained gaseous material, resulting from mining or from the cleaning or
6preparation of ferrous minerals during mining operations, except that "mining
7waste" does not include topsoil and mine overburden intended to be returned to the
8mining site or used in the reclamation process and that is placed on the mining site
9for those purposes, as provided for in the approved mining plan, and does not include
10merchantable by-products.
SB1-SSA2,34,15 11(31) "Mining waste site" means any land or appurtenances thereto used for the
12storage or disposal of mining waste or for the storage of merchantable by-products,
13but does not include land or appurtenances used in the production or transportation
14of mining waste, such as the concentrator, haul roads, or tailings pipelines, that are
15part of the mining site.
SB1-SSA2,34,18 16(32) "Nonferrous metallic mineral" means an ore or other earthen material to
17be excavated from natural deposits on or in the earth for its metallic content but not
18primarily for its iron oxide content.
SB1-SSA2,34,21 19(33) "Operator" means any person who is engaged in mining, or who holds a
20mining permit, whether individually, jointly, or through subsidiaries, agents,
21employees, or contractors.
SB1-SSA2,34,22 22(34) "Overburden" means any unconsolidated material that overlies bedrock.
SB1-SSA2,34,25 23(35) "Person" means an individual, corporation, limited liability company,
24partnership, association, local governmental agency, interstate agency, state agency,
25or federal agency.
SB1-SSA2,35,2
1(36) "Piping" means the progressive erosion of materials from an embankment
2or foundation caused by the seepage of water.
SB1-SSA2,35,4 3(37) "Principal shareholder" means any person who owns at least 10 percent
4of the beneficial ownership of an applicant or operator.
SB1-SSA2,35,7 5(38) "Reagent" means a substance or compound that is added to a system in
6order to bring about a chemical reaction or is added to see if a reaction occurs to
7confirm the presence of another substance.
SB1-SSA2,35,10 8(39) "Reclamation" means the process by which an area physically or
9environmentally affected by exploration or mining is rehabilitated to either its
10original state or to a state that provides long-term environmental stability.
SB1-SSA2,35,12 11(40) "Reclamation plan" means the proposal for the reclamation of an
12exploration site under s. 295.44 (2) (b) or a mining site under s. 295.49.
SB1-SSA2,35,14 13(41) "Refuse" means all mining waste and all waste materials deposited on or
14in the mining site from other sources, except merchantable by-products.
SB1-SSA2,35,17 15(42) "Related person" means any person that owns or operates a mining site
16in the United States and that is one of the following when an application for a mining
17permit is submitted to the department:
SB1-SSA2,35,1818 (a) The parent corporation of the applicant.
SB1-SSA2,35,2019 (b) A person that holds more than a 30 percent ownership interest in the
20applicant.
SB1-SSA2,35,2221 (c) A subsidiary or affiliate of the applicant in which the applicant holds more
22than a 30 percent ownership interest.
SB1-SSA2,36,2 23(44) "Subsidence" means lateral or vertical ground movement caused by a
24failure, initiated at the mine, of a man-made underground mine, that directly
25damages residences or commercial buildings, except that "subsidence" does not

1include lateral or vertical ground movement caused by earthquake, landslide, soil
2conditions, soil erosion, soil freezing and thawing, or roots of trees and shrubs.
SB1-SSA2,36,5 3(45) "Tailings" means waste material resulting from beneficiation of crushed
4ferrous minerals at a concentrator or from washing, concentration, or treatment of
5crushed ferrous minerals.
SB1-SSA2,36,8 6(46) "Unsuitable" means that the land proposed for mining is not suitable for
7mining because the mining activity will more probably than not destroy or
8irreparably damage any of the following:
SB1-SSA2,36,119 (a) Habitat required for survival of species of vegetation or wildlife designated
10as endangered through prior inclusion in rules adopted by the department, if the
11endangered species cannot be reestablished elsewhere.
SB1-SSA2,36,1512 (b) Unique features of the land, as determined by state or federal designation
13and incorporated in rules adopted by the department, as any of the following, which
14cannot have their unique characteristic preserved by relocation or replacement
15elsewhere:
SB1-SSA2,36,1616 1. Wilderness areas.
SB1-SSA2,36,1717 2. Wild and scenic rivers.
SB1-SSA2,36,1818 3. National or state parks.
SB1-SSA2,36,1919 4. Wildlife refuges and areas.
SB1-SSA2,36,2020 5. Listed properties, as defined in s. 44.31 (4).
SB1-SSA2,36,25 21(46m) "Wastewater and sludge storage or treatment lagoon" means a
22man-made containment structure that is constructed primarily of earthen
23materials, that is for the treatment or storage of wastewater, storm water, or sludge,
24and that is not a land disposal system, as defined in s. NR 140.05 (11), Wis. Adm.
25Code.
SB1-SSA2,37,1
1(47) "Waters of the state" has the meaning given in s. 281.01 (18).
SB1-SSA2,37,3 2(48) "Water supply" means the sources and their surroundings from which
3water is supplied for drinking or domestic purposes.
SB1-SSA2,37,4 4(49) "Wetland" has the meaning given in s. 23.32 (1).
SB1-SSA2,37,15 5295.43 Responsibilities related to mining. The department shall serve as
6the central unit of state government to ensure that the impact from mining and
7reclamation on the air, lands, waters, plants, fish, and wildlife in this state will be
8minimized and offset to the extent practicable. The administration of occupational
9health and safety laws and rules that apply to mining remain exclusively the
10responsibility of the department of safety and professional services. The powers and
11duties of the geological and natural history survey under s. 36.25 (6) remain
12exclusively the responsibility of the geological and natural history survey. Nothing
13in this section prevents the department of safety and professional services and the
14geological and natural history survey from cooperating with the department in the
15exercise of their respective powers and duties.
SB1-SSA2,37,16 16295.44 Exploration. (1) Definitions. In this section:
SB1-SSA2,37,1717 (a) "Abandonment" means the filling or sealing of a drillhole.
SB1-SSA2,37,2018 (b) "Clay slurry" means a fluid mixture of native clay formation or commercial
19clay or clay mineral products and water prepared with only the amount of water
20necessary to produce fluidity.
SB1-SSA2,37,2221 (c) "Concrete grout" means a mixture consisting of type A portland cement and
22an equal or lesser volume of dry sand combined with water.
SB1-SSA2,37,2423 (d) "Driller" means a person who performs core, rotary, percussion, or other
24drilling involved in exploration for ferrous minerals.
SB1-SSA2,38,2
1(e) "Drilling site" means the area disturbed by exploration, including the
2drillhole.
SB1-SSA2,38,43 (f) "Dump bailer" means a cylindrical container with a valve that empties the
4contents of the container at the bottom of a drillhole.
SB1-SSA2,38,65 (g) "Explorer" means any person who engages in exploration or who contracts
6for the services of drillers for the purpose of exploration.
SB1-SSA2,38,147 (h) "Exploration" means the on-site geologic examination from the surface of
8an area by core, rotary, percussion, or other drilling, where the diameter of the hole
9does not exceed 18 inches, for the purpose of searching for ferrous minerals or
10establishing the nature of a known ferrous mineral deposit, including associated
11activities such as clearing and preparing sites or constructing roads for drilling.
12"Exploration" does not include drilling for the purpose of collecting soil samples or
13for determining radioactivity by means of placement of devices that are sensitive to
14radiation.
SB1-SSA2,38,1615 (i) "License year" means the period beginning on July 1 of any year and ending
16on the following June 30.
SB1-SSA2,38,1817 (j) "Neat cement grout" means a mixture consisting of type A portland cement
18and water.
SB1-SSA2,38,2019 (k) "Termination" means the filling of drillholes and the reclamation of a
20drilling site.
SB1-SSA2,39,2 21(2) License. No person may engage in exploration, or contract for the services
22of drillers for purposes of exploration, without an annual license from the
23department. The department shall provide copies of the application for an
24exploration license to the state geologist upon issuance of the exploration license. A

1person seeking an exploration license shall file an application that includes all of the
2following:
SB1-SSA2,39,33 (a) An exploration plan that includes all of the following:
SB1-SSA2,39,54 1. A description of the site where the exploration will take place and a map of
5that area showing the locations of the exploration.
SB1-SSA2,39,66 2. A description of the means and method that will be used for the exploration.
SB1-SSA2,39,87 3. A description of the grading and stabilization of the excavation, sides, and
8benches that will be conducted.
SB1-SSA2,39,109 4. A description of how the grading and stabilization of any deposits of refuse
10will be conducted.
SB1-SSA2,39,1211 5. A description of how any diversion and drainage of water from the
12exploration site will be conducted.
SB1-SSA2,39,1313 6. A description of how any backfilling will be conducted.
SB1-SSA2,39,1514 7. A description of how any pollutant-bearing minerals or materials will be
15covered.
SB1-SSA2,39,1716 8. A description of how the topsoils will be removed and stockpiled or how other
17measures will be taken to protect topsoils before exploration.
SB1-SSA2,39,1818 9. A description of how vegetative cover will be provided.
SB1-SSA2,39,1919 10. A description of how any water impoundment will be accomplished.
SB1-SSA2,39,2120 11. Identification of the means and method that will be used to prevent
21significant environmental pollution to the extent practicable.
SB1-SSA2,39,2322 (b) A reclamation plan, designed to minimize adverse effects to the
23environment to the extent practicable, that includes all of the following:
SB1-SSA2,40,3
11. A description of how all toxic and hazardous wastes and other solid waste
2will be disposed of in solid or hazardous waste disposal facilities licensed under ch.
3289 or 291 or otherwise in an environmentally sound manner.
SB1-SSA2,40,54 2. A description of how topsoil will be preserved for purposes of future use in
5reclamation.
SB1-SSA2,40,76 3. A description of how revegetation will be conducted to stabilize disturbed
7soils and prevent air and water pollution to the extent practicable.
SB1-SSA2,40,98 4. A description of how disturbance to wetlands will be minimized to the extent
9practicable.
SB1-SSA2,40,1010 5. A statement that all drillholes will be abandoned in compliance with sub. (5).
SB1-SSA2,40,1111 (c) An exploration license fee of $300.
SB1-SSA2,40,1212 (d) A bond, as provided in sub. (3) (a).
SB1-SSA2,40,1813 (e) A certificate of insurance showing that the applicant has in force a liability
14insurance policy issued by an insurance company licensed to do business in this state
15covering all exploration conducted or contracted for by the explorer in this state and
16affording personal injury and property damage protection in a total amount
17determined to be adequate by the department, but not more than $1,000,000 and not
18less than $50,000.
SB1-SSA2,40,2219 (f) A copy of the applicant's most recent annual report to the federal securities
20and exchange commission on form 10-K, or, if this is not available, a report of the
21applicant's current assets and liabilities or other data necessary to establish that the
22applicant is competent to conduct exploration in this state.
SB1-SSA2,41,5 23(2m) Confidentiality. The department and the state geologist shall protect as
24confidential any information, other than effluent data, contained in an application
25for an exploration license, upon a showing that the information is entitled to

1protection as a trade secret, as defined in s. 134.90 (1) (c), and any information
2relating to the location, quality, or quantity of a ferrous mineral deposit, to
3production or sales figures, or to processes or production unique to the applicant or
4that would tend to adversely affect the competitive position of the applicant if made
5public.
SB1-SSA2,41,11 6(3) Bond. (a) An applicant shall submit, as part of the application for an
7exploration license, a bond in the amount of $5,000 that is conditioned on faithful
8performance of the requirements of this section, that is issued by a surety company
9licensed to do business in this state, and that provides that the bond may not be
10canceled by the surety, except after not less than 90 days' notice to the department
11in writing by registered or certified mail.
SB1-SSA2,41,1612 (b) If the surety for a bond submitted under par. (a) issues a cancellation notice,
13the explorer shall deliver a replacement bond at least 30 days before the expiration
14of the 90 day notice period. If the explorer fails to submit a replacement bond, the
15explorer may not engage in exploration until the explorer submits a replacement
16bond.
SB1-SSA2,41,2117 (c) If the license of the surety company for a bond submitted under par. (a) is
18revoked or suspended, the explorer, within 30 days after receiving written notice
19from the department, shall deliver a replacement bond. If the explorer fails to submit
20a replacement bond, the explorer may not engage in exploration until the explorer
21submits a replacement bond.
SB1-SSA2,41,2522 (d) The department may require that the amount of the bond submitted under
23this subsection be increased at any time, if the department determines that the level
24of activity by the explorer makes it likely that the bond would be inadequate to fund
25the termination of all drillholes for which the explorer is responsible.
SB1-SSA2,42,4
1(e) The department shall release a bond submitted under this subsection one
2year after the issuance of the last certificate of completion of exploration under sub.
3(9) (c) 3. if the explorer no longer holds an exploration license and the department
4determines that the explorer has complied with this section.
SB1-SSA2,42,13 5(4) Issuance or denial of exploration license. (a) Except as provided in par.
6(c), within 10 business days of receiving an administratively complete application for
7an exploration license, the department shall issue the exploration license or provide
8the notice required under par. (f) of intent not to issue the exploration license, unless
9the application is for an upcoming license year. If an application is for an upcoming
10license year, the department shall issue the exploration license or provide the notice
11required under par. (f) of intent not to issue the exploration license within 10
12business days of receiving an administratively complete application or on the next
13July 1, whichever is later.
SB1-SSA2,43,214 (b) An application for an exploration license is considered to be
15administratively complete on the day that it is submitted, unless, before the 10th
16business day after receiving the application, the department provides the applicant
17with written notification that the application is not administratively complete. The
18department may determine that an application is not administratively complete only
19if the application does not include an exploration plan; a reclamation plan; an
20exploration license fee; a bond; a certificate of insurance; or a copy of the applicant's
21most recent annual report to the federal securities and exchange commission on form
2210-K, or, if this is not available, a report of the applicant's current assets and
23liabilities or other data necessary to establish that the applicant is competent to
24conduct exploration in this state. The department may not consider the quality of

1the information provided. In a notice provided under this paragraph, the
2department shall identify what is missing from the application.
SB1-SSA2,43,103 (c) If the department provides notification, in compliance with par. (b), that an
4application is not administratively complete, the department shall issue the
5exploration license or provide the notice required under par. (f) of intent not to issue
6the license within 7 business days of receipt of the missing item, unless the
7application is for an upcoming license year. If the application is for an upcoming
8license year, the department shall issue the exploration license or provide the notice
9required under par. (f) of intent not to issue the exploration license within 7 business
10days of receipt of the missing item or on the next July 1, whichever is later.
SB1-SSA2,43,1511 (d) If the department does not comply with par. (a) or (c), the application is
12automatically approved and the department shall issue an exploration license that
13includes the requirements in sub. (5). The explorer may engage in exploration based
14on the automatic approval, notwithstanding any delay by the department in issuing
15the license.
SB1-SSA2,43,2016 (e) Subject to par. (f), the department shall deny an application for an
17exploration license if the department finds that, after the activities in the exploration
18plan and the reclamation plan have been completed, the exploration will have a
19substantial and irreparable adverse impact on the environment or present a
20substantial risk of injury to public health and welfare.
SB1-SSA2,44,1021 (f) Before denying an application, the department shall provide the applicant
22with written notification of its intent not to issue the exploration license, setting
23forth all of the reasons for its intent not to issue the exploration license, including
24reference to competent evidence supporting its position. The department shall
25provide the person with an opportunity to correct any deficiencies in the exploration

1plan or reclamation plan within 10 business days. If the person amends the
2exploration plan or reclamation plan and corrects the deficiencies, the department
3shall issue the exploration license within 10 business days of receipt of the amended
4exploration plan or reclamation plan, unless the application is for an upcoming
5license year. If an application is for an upcoming license year, the department shall
6issue the exploration license within 10 business days of receipt of the amended
7exploration plan or reclamation plan or on the next July 1, whichever is later. If the
8department determines that the deficiencies have not been corrected, it shall deny
9the application, in writing, setting forth all of the reasons for its determination,
10including reference to competent evidence supporting the determination.
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