Bill Number
AB214 and SB152
Sierra Club Position
Support
Legislative Session
Status Info
Read for the first time and then referred to the Committee on Sporting Heritage, Mining and Forestry in Senate and to the Committee on Rural Development and Mining in the Assembly.
The bill would close a loophole allowing individuals who have obtained certain DNR permits to fill in or destroy lake beds while mining for iron or other metals, an activity which would otherwise be illegal. Additionally, the bill also prohibits the DNR from authorizing individuals to destroy a reservoir or flowage or withdraw water from a reservoir or flowage in the process of mining for iron or other metals. Finally, it makes it illegal for the DNR to authorize individuals involved in oil and gas production to withdraw water from a reservoir or flowage.