SB1,136,15 14(2) Criteria for denial. The department shall deny the mining permit if it
15finds any of the following:
SB1,136,1616 (a) That the site is unsuitable for mining.
SB1,136,1817 (b) That the proposed mining may reasonably be expected to create any of the
18following situations:
SB1,136,2219 1. Hazards resulting in irreparable, substantial physical damage to any of the
20following that cannot be prevented under the requirements of this subchapter,
21avoided to the extent practicable by removal from the area of hazard, or offset by
22purchase or by obtaining the consent of the owner:
SB1,136,2323 a. A dwelling house.
SB1,136,2424 b. A public building.
SB1,136,2525 c. A school.
SB1,137,1
1d. A church.
SB1,137,22 e. A cemetery.
SB1,137,33 f. A commercial or institutional building.
SB1,137,44 g. A public road.
SB1,137,95 2. Irreparable substantial environmental damage to lake or stream bodies
6despite adherence to the requirements of this subchapter. This subdivision does not
7apply to an activity that the department has authorized under statute, except that
8the destruction or filling in of a lake bed may not be authorized unless it is authorized
9under s. 295.60, 295.605, or 295.61.
SB1,137,1210 3. Landslides or substantial deposition from the proposed mining operation in
11stream or lake beds which cannot feasibly be prevented and which have not been
12authorized under s. 295.60 or 295.605.
SB1,137,1413 (c) That the applicant has violated, and continues to fail to comply with, this
14subchapter.
SB1,137,2015 (d) Subject to sub. (3), that the applicant, principal shareholder of the
16applicant, or a related person has within 10 years before the application is submitted
17forfeited a mining reclamation bond that was posted in accordance with a permit or
18other authorization for a mining operation in the United States, unless the forfeiture
19was by agreement with the entity for whose benefit the bond was posted and the
20amount of the bond was sufficient to cover all costs of reclamation.
SB1,137,2521 (e) Subject to sub. (3), that the applicant, a related person, or an officer or
22director of the applicant has, within 10 years before the application is submitted,
23been convicted of more than one felony for violations of laws for the protection of the
24natural environment arising out of the operation of a mining site in the United
25States, unless one of the following applies:
SB1,138,1
11. The person convicted has been pardoned for all of the felonies.
SB1,138,32 2. The person convicted is a related person or an officer or director of the
3applicant with whom the applicant terminates its relationship.
SB1,138,64 3. The applicant included in its permit application under s. 295.47 a plan to
5prevent the occurrence in this state of events similar to the events that directly
6resulted in the convictions.
SB1,138,117 (f) Subject to sub. (3), that the applicant or a related person has, within 10 years
8before the application is submitted, declared bankruptcy or undergone dissolution
9that resulted in the failure to reclaim a mining site in the United States in violation
10of a state or federal law and that failure has not been remedied and is not being
11remedied.
SB1,138,1612 (g) Subject to sub. (3), that, within 10 years before the application is submitted,
13a mining permit or other authorization for mining issued to the applicant or a related
14person was permanently revoked because of a failure to reclaim a mining site in the
15United States in violation of state or federal law and that failure has not been and
16is not being remedied.
SB1,138,24 17(3) Exception from denial criteria. The department may not deny a mining
18permit under sub. (2) (d) to (g) if the person subject to the convictions, forfeiture,
19permanent revocation, bankruptcy, or dissolution is a related person but the
20applicant shows that the person was not the parent corporation of the applicant, a
21person that holds more than a 30 percent ownership in the applicant, or a subsidiary
22or affiliate of the applicant in which the applicant holds more than a 30 percent
23interest at the time of the convictions, forfeiture, permanent revocation, bankruptcy,
24or dissolution.
SB1,139,3
1(4) Statement. The department shall send a statement as to whether the
2applicant has satisfied the requirements of this subchapter to the applicant and to
3the other persons specified in s. 295.57 (4) (b) 1. to 9.
SB1,139,5 4(5) Duration of approvals. (a) A mining permit is valid for the life of the
5mining project, subject to the enforcement provisions under s. 295.79.
SB1,139,76 (b) An approval under s. 295.60 or 295.61 remains valid for the life of the mining
7project, subject to the enforcement provisions under s. 295.79.
SB1,139,118 (c) An approval issued for a mining project under ch. 23, 29, 30, 31, 169, 281,
9283, 285, 289, or 291, except for a permit under ch. 283 or 285 that is subject to a
10federal requirement limiting its duration, remains valid for the life of the mining
11project, subject to the enforcement provisions applicable to the approval.
SB1,139,13 12(6) Effective date of approvals. A mining permit and any other approval is
13issued upon mailing and is final and effective upon issuance.
SB1,139,18 14(7) Merchantable by-products. In a mining permit, the department shall
15require the operator to treat merchantable by-products as refuse if after 3 years from
16the time the merchantable by-products result from or are displaced by mining the
17material has not been transported off the mining site, unless removal is continuing
18at a rate of more than 12,000 cubic yards per year.
SB1,140,2 19(8) General contractor or affiliate. No operator may engage a general
20contractor or affiliate to operate a mining site if the general contractor or affiliate has
21been convicted of more than one felony for violation of a law for the protection of the
22natural environment arising out of the operation of a mining site in the United States
23within 10 years before the issuance of the operator's mining permit, unless the
24general contractor or affiliate receives the department's approval of a plan to prevent

1the occurrence in this state of events similar to the events that directly resulted in
2the convictions.
SB1,140,6 3295.59 Bonds and other security. (1) Security for reclamation. (a) Upon
4notification that an application for a mining permit has been approved by the
5department but before beginning mining, the operator shall furnish one of the
6following to the department:
SB1,140,97 1. A bond, furnished by a surety company licensed to do business in this state,
8conditioned on faithful performance of all of the requirements of this subchapter and
9all rules adopted by the department under this subchapter.
SB1,140,1010 2. Cash.
SB1,140,1111 3. Certificates of deposit.
SB1,140,1212 4. Government securities.
SB1,140,1413 (b) The department shall pay to the operator interest received on certificates
14of deposit or government securities furnished under par. (a).
SB1,140,2315 (c) The operator shall furnish the security required under par. (a) in the amount
16equal to the estimated cost to the state of fulfilling the reclamation plan, other than
17the cost of long-term care of the mining waste site, in relation to the portion of the
18mining site that will be disturbed by the end of the following year. The department
19shall determine the estimated cost of reclamation of each mining site on the basis of
20relevant factors, including the character and nature of the lands to be reclaimed, the
21future suitable use of the land involved, the topography of the mining site, the
22methods of reclamation being employed, the depth and composition of overburden,
23and the depth of the ferrous mineral deposit being mined.
SB1,141,6 24(2) Certificate of insurance. The operator shall submit a certificate of
25insurance certifying that the applicant has in force a liability insurance policy issued

1by an insurer authorized to do business in this state or, in lieu of a certificate of
2insurance, evidence that the applicant has satisfied state or federal self-insurance
3requirements, covering all mining operations of the operator in this state and
4affording personal injury and property damage protection in a total amount
5determined to be adequate by the department but not more than $1,000,000 and not
6less than $50,000.
SB1,141,12 7(2m) Proof of financial responsibility for long-term care of mining waste
8site.
An operator shall maintain proof of financial responsibility ensuring the
9availability of funds for compliance with the long-term care requirements specified
10in the waste site feasibility study and plan of operation for a period of 40 years after
11closing of the mining waste site. The operator shall furnish the proof of financial
12responsibility to the department in one of the following forms:
SB1,141,1313 (a) A bond.
SB1,141,1414 (b) Cash.
SB1,141,1515 (c) Certificates of deposit.
SB1,141,1616 (d) Government securities.
SB1,141,1717 (e) Insurance.
SB1,141,22 18(3) Written authorization to mine. Upon approval of the operator's bonds or
19other security under subs. (1) and (2m), mining application, and certificate of
20insurance, the department shall issue written authorization to begin mining at the
21permitted mining site in accordance with the approved mining plan, reclamation
22plan, and mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation.
SB1,142,7 23(4) Reclamation bond for more than one mining site. Any operator who
24obtains mining permits from the department for 2 or more mining sites may elect,
25at the time that the mining permit for the 2nd or any subsequent mining site is

1approved, to post a single bond under sub. (1) in lieu of separate bonds for each
2mining site. An operator who chooses to post a single bond under this subsection
3shall post a bond in an amount equal to the estimated cost to the state determined
4under sub. (1) of reclaiming all mining sites the operator has under mining permits.
5When an operator elects to post a single bond in lieu of separate bonds previously
6posted on individual mining sites, the department may not release the separate
7bonds until the department accepts the new bond.
SB1,142,12 8(5) Review of amounts. If an operator disagrees with the amount of the bonds
9or other security that the department requires under this section, the operator may
10seek review under s. 295.77 (3) of the amount required. The operator may post a bond
11or other security in the amount required by the department and begin mining
12without forfeiting its right to seek review.
SB1,142,13 13295.60 Impacts to wetlands. (1) Definitions. In this section:
SB1,142,1614 (a) "Artificial wetland" means a landscape feature where hydrophytic
15vegetation may be present as a result of human modifications to the landscape or
16hydrology and for which there is no prior wetland or stream history.
SB1,142,1917 (b) "Ceded territory" means the territory in Wisconsin ceded by the Chippewa
18Indians to the United States in the treaty of 1837, 7 Stat. 536, and the treaty of 1842,
197 Stat. 591.
SB1,142,2120 (c) "Federal wetland" means a wetland that is subject to federal jurisdiction
21under 33 USC 1344.
SB1,142,2322 (d) "Fill material" has the meaning given in 33 CFR 323.2 (e), as the meaning
23exists on July 1, 2012.
SB1,142,2524 (e) "Mitigation" means the restoration, enhancement, creation, or preservation
25of wetlands to compensate for adverse impacts to other wetlands.
SB1,143,4
1(f) "Mitigation bank" means a system of accounting for wetland loss and
2compensation that includes one or more sites where wetlands are restored,
3enhanced, created, or preserved to provide credits to be subsequently applied or
4purchased in order to compensate for adverse impacts to other wetlands.
SB1,143,65 (g) "On-site location" means a location that is on a mining site or within
6one-half mile of an outer boundary of a mining site.
SB1,143,107 (h) "Practicable" means reasonably available and capable of being
8implemented after taking into consideration cost, site availability, available
9technology, logistics, and proximity to the proposed project site, in light of the overall
10purpose and scope of the project.
SB1,143,1211 (i) "Water basin" means the Lake Michigan basin, the Lake Superior basin, or
12the Mississippi River basin or other water basin established by the department.
SB1,143,1413 (j) "Water management unit" means a subdivision of a water basin that is
14established on a hydrological basis by the department.
SB1,143,1615 (k) "Water quality standard" means a wetland water quality standard specified
16under sub. (5) or any other water quality standard set by rule under s. 281.15.
SB1,143,1717 (L) "Wetland impact evaluation" means an evaluation of impacts to a wetland.
SB1,144,6 18(2) Wetland determinations and delineations. For purposes of this section,
19wetland determinations and wetland boundary delineations shall be consistent with
20the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1987 Wetlands Delineation Manual and any final
21regional supplement to the manual. Any owner or lessee of land, or a holder of an
22easement in land, may request that the department provide a wetland determination
23or wetland boundary delineation for an application for a wetland individual permit
24under this section or for another approval for which a wetland impact evaluation is
25required. The department may rely on wetland determinations and wetland

1boundary delineations made by other agencies and consultants. If the applicant has
2provided information to the department that is identified in the manual or any final
3regional supplement as being sufficient to make a wetland determination or a
4delineation of boundaries, the department may visit a mining site to conduct surveys
5or gather additional site-specific quantitative data provided that the department
6does not discontinue the processing of the application to do so.
SB1,144,9 7(3) Scope; discharges; other impacts. (a) Scope. Except as otherwise provided
8under this section, this section applies to wetland individual permits and any other
9approvals for which wetland impact evaluations are required.
SB1,144,1910 (b) Discharges of dredged or fill material. No person may discharge dredged
11material or fill material associated with a mining operation or bulk sampling unless
12the discharge is authorized under a wetland individual permit issued under this
13section or under a wetland general permit issued under s. 281.36 (3g). The
14department may not issue a wetland individual permit unless it makes a finding
15under sub. (6) (a) that the discharge will comply with all applicable water quality
16standards. Section 281.36 (3g) and (11), and the rules promulgated under s. 281.36
17(3g) and (11), apply to authorizations to proceed under general permits.
18Notwithstanding s. 281.36 (3g) (h) 2., a person receiving authorization to proceed
19under a wetland general permit may not proceed until a mining permit is issued.
SB1,144,2320 (c) Other impacts. For an approval which requires a wetland impact evaluation
21for an activity other than a discharge of dredged material or fill material, the
22approval may not be issued unless the department determines that the activity will
23comply with all applicable water quality standards.
SB1,145,4 24(4) Review by department. (a) Avoidance or minimization of impacts. When
25applying for a wetland individual permit or for another approval for which a wetland

1impact evaluation is required, an applicant shall include in the application an
2analysis of the practicable alternatives that will avoid and minimize the adverse
3impacts on wetland functional values and that will not result in any other significant
4adverse environmental consequences.
SB1,145,105 (b) Practicable alternatives. The department shall review the analysis of
6practicable alternatives included in the application under par. (a). The department
7shall limit its review to those practicable alternatives that are located at the site of
8the discharge or other activity and that are located adjacent to that site if the
9applicant has demonstrated that the proposed project causing the discharge or other
10activity will result in a demonstrable economic public benefit.
SB1,145,1311 (c) Assessing impacts. In its review under this subsection, the department shall
12consider all of the following factors when it assesses the impacts to wetland
13functional values;
SB1,145,1514 1. The direct impacts of the proposed discharge or other activity to wetland
15functional values.
SB1,145,1916 2. The cumulative impacts attributable to the proposed discharge or other
17activity that may occur to wetland functional values based on past impacts or
18reasonably anticipated impacts caused by similar discharges or activities in the area
19affected by the discharge or activity.
SB1,145,2120 3. Potential secondary impacts of the proposed discharge or other activity to
21wetland functional values.
SB1,145,2322 4. The impact on functional values resulting from the mitigation program
23under sub. (8)
SB1,145,2424 5. The net positive or negative environmental impact of the mining operation.
SB1,146,4
1(d) Assessing impacts; geographical scope. In its review under this subsection,
2the department shall evaluate whether the discharge or other activity will result in
3a significant adverse impact to wetland functional values by doing all of the
4following:
SB1,146,85 1. Comparing the functional values of the wetland with other wetlands located
6within the boundaries of the mining site or within the same water management unit
7as the mining site and with other waters of the state that are located in the same
8water management unit.
SB1,146,109 2. Taking into consideration the floristic province in which the mining site is
10located.
SB1,146,1611 (e) Method for assessing impacts. In issuing a wetland individual permit under
12this section or in conducting a wetland impact evaluation, the department shall
13determine the impact of a proposed discharge or other activity upon the wetland
14functional values by using wetland ecological evaluation methods that are jointly
15accepted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the department and that are
16appropriate to the affected wetland.
SB1,146,1817 (f) General permits. Paragraphs (a) to (e) do not apply to authorizations to
18proceed under a general permit issued under s. 281.36 (3g).
SB1,146,21 19(5) Wetland water quality standards. The following wetland water quality
20standards apply to any wetland individual permit issued under this section or to any
21wetland impact evaluation:
SB1,147,222 (a) Adverse impacts to the functional values and water quality of wetlands and
23adverse impacts to other waters of the state that are influenced by wetlands shall be
24minimized, and any significant adverse impacts remaining after minimization shall

1be subject to a mitigation program under sub. (8). For purposes of this section,
2functional values consist of all of the following:
SB1,147,43 1. Storm and flood water storage and retention and the moderation of water
4level fluctuation extremes.
SB1,147,75 2. Hydrologic functions including the maintenance of dry season streamflow,
6the discharge of groundwater to a wetland, the recharge of groundwater from a
7wetland to another area, and the flow of groundwater through a wetland.
SB1,147,98 3. Filtration or storage of sediments, nutrients, or toxic substances that would
9otherwise adversely impact the quality of waters of the state.
SB1,147,1110 4. Shoreline protection against erosion through the dissipation of wave energy
11and water velocity and anchoring of sediments.
SB1,147,1512 5. Habitat for aquatic organisms in the food web including fish, crustaceans,
13mollusks, insects, annelids, and planktonic organisms and the plants and animals
14upon which these aquatic organisms feed and depend upon for their needs in all life
15stages.
SB1,147,1816 6. Habitat for resident and transient wildlife species, including mammals,
17birds, reptiles, and amphibians, for breeding, resting, nesting, escape cover, travel
18corridors, and food.
SB1,147,2019 7. Recreational, cultural, educational, scientific, and natural scenic beauty
20values and uses.
SB1,147,2421 (b) All of the following shall be minimized in order to avoid significant adverse
22impacts for the purpose of maintaining or enhancing the wetland functional values
23identified under par. (a), and any minimization of the following must be taken into
24account in the department's evaluation of significant adverse impacts:
SB1,147,2525 1. The use of liquids, fill, or other solids or gases.
SB1,148,1
12. The presence of floating or submerged debris, oil, or other material.
SB1,148,22 3. The use of materials producing color, odor, taste, or unsightliness.
Loading...
Loading...