Chapter 295

295.465(1) (1) Except as provided in sub. (3), at least 12 months before filing an application for a mining permit under s. 295.47, a person proposing to engage in a mining project shall notify the department and the U.S. army corps of engineers in writing of the intention to file an application for a mining permit. After receiving the notification, the department shall hold at least one meeting with the person to make a preliminary assessment of the project’s scope, to make an analysis of alternatives, to identify potential interested persons, and to ensure that the person making the proposal is aware of all of the following:

295.465(1)(a) (a) The approvals, including the filing requirements for the approvals, that the person may be required to obtain for the mining project.

295.465(1)(b) (b) The requirements for submission of an environmental impact report and for submission of any other information required by the department to prepare an environmental impact statement under s. 295.53.

295.465(1)(c) (c) The information the department will require to enable the department to process the application for the mining permit in a timely manner.

295.465(2) (2) Within 60 days of a meeting under sub. (1), the department shall provide all of the following to the person:

295.465(2)(a) (a) A detailed written summary of the requirements under sub. (1) (a) to (c).

295.465(2)(b) (b) Any available information relevant to the potential impacts of the mining project on rare, threatened, or endangered species and historic or cultural resources and any other information relevant to potential impacts that may occur from the project that are required to be considered under s. 1.11.

295.465(2)(c) (c) Available information to evaluate the environmental impact of the project and to expedite the preparation of the environmental impact report and the environmental impact statement, including information concerning preliminary environmental reviews, field studies, and investigations; monitoring programs to establish baseline water quality; laboratory studies and investigations; advisory services; and the timing and the processes associated with any necessary consultations with other state or federal agencies and within the department, such as those required for endangered resources and cultural resource consultations and approvals.

295.465(3) (3) A person who files an application under s. 295.47 for a mining proposal is not required to provide notice under sub. (1) if the person files the application no more than one year after the department denied the person’s application for the same mining proposal.

295.465(4) (4) After providing notice to the U.S. army corps of engineers under sub. (1), a person shall make a good faith effort to meet with the U.S. army corps of engineers to discuss the mining project, the environmental impact report, and information related to federal requirements that may be applicable to the mining project.

295.465(5) (5) After receiving notice under sub. (1), the department shall seek to enter into a memorandum of understanding with any federal regulatory agency with responsibilities related to the potential mining operation covering timelines, sampling metrology, and any other issue of mutual concern related to processing an application for a mining permit.

295.465 History History: 2013 a. 1; 2015 a. 196.

295.47 295.47 Application for mining permit.

295.47(1) (1) 

295.47(1)(a) (a) No person may engage in mining or reclamation at any mining site unless the mining site is covered by a mining permit and by written authorization to mine under s. 295.59 (3). An applicant shall submit an application for a mining permit to the department in writing and in reproducible form and shall provide the number of copies that are requested by the department. An application and a mining permit are required for each separate mining site. The applicant shall distribute copies of the application to the clerk of any city, village, town, or county with zoning jurisdiction over the proposed site, to the clerk of any city, village, town, or county within whose boundaries any portion of the proposed mining site is located, to the elected governing body of any federally recognized American Indian tribe or band with a reservation the boundaries of which are within 20 miles of the proposed site, and to the main public library of each city, village, town, or county with zoning jurisdiction over the proposed site or within whose boundaries any portion of the proposed site is located.

295.47(1)(am) (am) For the purposes of s. 295.57 (7) (a), as part of the application for a mining permit, an applicant may specify a deadline for the department to act on the mining permit that is more than 420 days after the day on which the application is administratively complete under s. 295.57 (2).

295.47(1)(b) (b) If a person proposes to conduct mining at a mining site that includes an abandoned mining site, the person shall include plans for reclamation of the abandoned mining site, or the portion of the abandoned mining site that is included in the mining site, in its mining plan and reclamation plan.

295.47(2) (2) As a part of each application for a mining permit, the applicant shall furnish all of the following:

295.47(2)(a) (a) A mining plan under s. 295.48.

295.47(2)(b) (b) A reclamation plan under s. 295.49.

295.47(2)(c) (c) A mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation under s. 295.51.

295.47(2)(e) (e) The name and address of each owner of land within the mining site and each person known by the applicant to hold any option or lease on land within the mining site.

295.47(2)(f) (f) A list of all mining permits in this state held by the applicant.

295.47(2)(g) (g) Evidence the applicant has applied or will apply for necessary permits or other permissions under all applicable zoning ordinances and that the applicant has applied or will apply to the department for any approval and has applied or will apply for any other license or permit required under state law.

295.47(2)(h) (h)

295.47(2)(h)1. 1. The information specified in subd. 2. concerning the occurrence of any of the following within 10 years before the application is submitted:

295.47(2)(h)1.a. a. A forfeiture by the applicant, principal shareholder of the applicant, or a related person of a mining reclamation bond that was sufficient to cover all costs of reclamation and was posted in accordance with a permit or other approval for a mining operation in the United States, unless the forfeiture was by agreement with the entity for whose benefit the bond was posted.

295.47(2)(h)1.b. b. A felony conviction of the applicant, a related person, or an officer or director of the applicant for a violation of a law for the protection of the natural environment arising out of the operation of a mining site in the United States.

295.47(2)(h)1.c. c. The bankruptcy or dissolution of the applicant or a related person that resulted in the failure to reclaim a mining site in the United States in violation of a state or federal law.

295.47(2)(h)1.d. d. The permanent revocation of a mining permit or other mining approval issued to the applicant or a related person if the permit or other mining approval was revoked because of a failure to reclaim a mining site in the United States in violation of state or federal law.

295.47(2)(h)2. 2. The applicant shall specify the name and address of the person involved in and the date and location of each occurrence described in subd. 1.

295.47(2)(i) (i) A description of any land contiguous to the proposed mining site that the applicant owns or leases or has an option to purchase or lease.

295.47(2)(j) (j) Any other pertinent information that the applicant believes may be useful to the department.

295.47 History History: 2013 a. 1.

295.48 295.48 Mining plan.

295.48(1) (1) General. An applicant for a mining permit shall submit as part of the application a mining plan that includes a description of the proposed mining site and either a detailed map drawn to a scale approved by the department or aerial photographs, if the photographs show the details to the satisfaction of the department, prepared and certified by a competent engineer, licensed professional surveyor, or other person approved by the department that show all of the following:

295.48(1)(a) (a) The boundaries of the area of land that will be affected.

295.48(1)(b) (b) The drainage area above and below the area that will be affected.

295.48(1)(c) (c) The location and names of all streams, roads, railroads, pipelines, and utility lines on or within 1,000 feet of the mining site.

295.48(1)(d) (d) The name or names of the owner or owners of the mining site.

295.48(1)(e) (e) The name of the city, village, or town in which the mining site is located and the name of any other city, village, or town that is within 3 miles of the mining site.

295.48(2) (2) Descriptive data. The applicant shall provide descriptive data to accompany the map or photographs under sub. (1), including all of the following:

295.48(2)(a) (a) The federal natural resources conservation service land capabilities classifications of the affected area.

295.48(2)(b) (b) The elevation of the water table.

295.48(2)(c) (c) Details of the nature, extent, and final configuration of the proposed excavation and mining site, including the total estimated production of tailings, waste rock, and other refuse and the location of their disposal.

295.48(2)(d) (d) The nature and depth of the overburden.

295.48(3) (3) Operating procedures. The applicant shall also include in the mining plan the details of the proposed operating procedures, including descriptions of all of the following:

295.48(3)(a) (a) The sequence of mining operations.

295.48(3)(b) (b) The handling of overburden materials.

295.48(3)(c) (c) The production, handling, and final disposition of tailings.

295.48(3)(d) (d) The milling, concentrating, refining, and other processing of ferrous minerals.

295.48(3)(e) (e) The storage, loading, and transportation of the final product.

295.48(3)(f) (f) Groundwater and surface water management techniques, including provisions for erosion protection and drainage control, and a water management plan showing water sources, flow paths and rates, storage volumes, and release points.

295.48(3)(g) (g) Plans for collection, treatment, and discharge of any water resulting from the mining.

295.48(3)(h) (h) Plans for protecting air quality under ch. 285.

295.48(3)(hm) (hm) A plan for monitoring environmental changes at the mining site.

295.48(3)(hr) (hr) An assessment of the risk of the occurrence of an accidental health or environmental hazard in connection with the operation of the mine. The assessment shall include, with specificity, a description of the assumptions that the applicant used in making the risk assessment and the contingency measures that the applicant proposes to take in the event that an accidental health or environmental hazard occurs.

295.48(3)(i) (i) Measures for notifying the public and responsible governmental agencies of potentially hazardous conditions, including the movement or accumulation of toxic wastes in groundwater and surface water, soils, and vegetation, and other consequences of the operation of importance to public health, safety, and welfare.

295.48(3)(j) (j) All surface facilities associated with the mining site and any use of mining waste in reclamation or the construction of any facility or structure.

295.48(3)(k) (k) All geological and geotechnical investigations and drilling programs.

295.48(3)(L) (L) A plan for completing and submitting a preblasting survey to the department before any blasting is conducted.

295.48(4) (4) Required demonstrations. The applicant shall demonstrate in the mining plan that the proposed mining will be consistent with the reclamation plan under s. 295.49 and that all of the following will apply, at a minimum:

295.48(4)(a) (a) Handling and storage of all materials on the mining site will be done in an environmentally sound manner.

295.48(4)(b) (b) Buildings and other structures will be painted and maintained in a manner that is visually compatible with the surrounding vegetational and earth conditions, except that if a building or other structure cannot be painted and maintained in a manner that is visually compatible or if painting and maintaining a building or other structure in a manner that is visually compatible would cause safety concerns, the building or structure will be made as visually inconspicuous as is practicable.

295.48(4)(c) (c) Effective means will be taken to limit access to the mining site to minimize exposure of the public to hazards.

295.48(4)(d) (d) The use of mine mill chemicals and processing reagent wastes will be governed by all of the following:

295.48(4)(d)1. 1. Reagents and mine mill chemicals will not be used in a manner that will result in substantial harm to public safety or health or to the environment.

295.48(4)(d)2. 2. Reagents and mine mill chemicals that consist of or contain water soluble salts or metals will be used in accordance with any applicable approval.

295.48(4)(d)3. 3. Reagents will not be used or stored at the mining site if they are not included in the mining waste site feasibility study and plan of operation or in the mining plan, except for reagents for laboratory, testing, research, or experimental purposes.

295.48(4)(e) (e) Provisions will be made for back-up equipment in the event of the breakdown of critical operation equipment.

295.48(4)(f) (f) The design and operation specifications for mining site facilities include features, which may include emergency power supplies, redundant equipment, or temporary holding facilities, to deal with emergency conditions.

295.48(4)(g) (g) Mining site facilities are designed to minimize disturbance to surface areas, to the extent practicable.

295.48(4)(h) (h) Where practicable, elevation differences in water-based transport systems will be used for gravity flows to minimize pumping facilities and pressures.

295.48(4)(i) (i) The following apply:

295.48(4)(i)1. 1. Systems for transporting tailings in slurry through pipelines that are not buried are designed to provide for emergency tailings conveyance or storage in case a pipeline breaks, plugs, freezes, or needs repairs and will be accessible for inspection, emergency repair, and maintenance.

295.48(4)(i)2. 2. The location of emergency spill containment areas is consistent with the prevention of substantial environmental pollution of surface waters.

295.48(4)(i)3. 3. In the event of a power failure, tailings pipelines will be self draining to a tailings area or an emergency spill containment area or standby pumps and pipelines or standby power is provided.

295.48(4)(i)4. 4. More than one emergency spill containment area is provided if necessary.

295.48(4)(j) (j) If practicable, all liquid effluents from the mining site will be directed to a common point, for treatment if necessary, before discharge to a natural watercourse.

295.48(4)(L) (L) If sanitary wastes will be directed to a tailings area they will be appropriately treated.

295.48 History History: 2013 a. 1, 358.

295.49 295.49 Reclamation plan.

295.49(1) (1) An applicant for a mining permit shall submit as part of the application a reclamation plan, designed to minimize adverse effects to the environment to the extent practicable, that includes all of the following:

295.49(1)(a) (a) A description of the manner, location, sequence, and timing of reclamation of the mining site, including the mine, mining waste site, and sites for the disposal of wastes that are not mining wastes.

295.49(1)(am) (am) Prereclamation and postreclamation drawings.

295.49(1)(b) (b) A map showing the specific reclamation proposal for each area of the mining site.

295.49(1)(c) (c) A description of ongoing reclamation procedures during mining.

295.49(1)(d) (d) A description of proposed interim and final topography and slope stabilization.

295.49(1)(e) (e) A description of the proposed final land use and the relationship to surrounding land and land use.