Bill > HB587

This bill revises Montana's mine reclamation laws, focusing primarily on redefining "material damage" and clarifying permit application requirements. The bill makes significant changes to how material damage is defined across three contexts: hydrologic balance, alluvial valley floors, and subsidence caused by underground coal mining. For hydrologic balance, material damage is now defined as a quantifiable adverse impact on surface or ground water that precludes existing or reasonably foreseeable water uses, with a more precise standard for measuring impacts. For alluvial valley floors, material damage means a degradation that significantly decreases the capability to support agricultural activities. In the case of underground coal mining subsidence, material damage includes functional impairments of surface lands, significant adverse impacts on land's capability to support uses, or significant changes to structures or facilities. The bill also modifies permit application requirements, particularly regarding hydrologic information, allowing the department to make determinations using applicant-collected data if prior regional hydrologic information is unavailable. Additionally, the bill includes provisions for contingent voidness if the U.S. Secretary of the Interior disapproves any part of the act, and it applies retroactively to pending permit-related legal actions. The changes aim to provide more precise definitions and clearer guidelines for mining operations and environmental protection.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC1509