No. 28337 (Amendment): R647-1-106. Definitions

DAR File No.: 28337
Filed: 11/09/2005, 12:28
Received by: NL

 

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

The purpose of this amendment is to clarify definitions and references in the minerals regulatory program as they relate to changes brought on by S.B. 65 (2003 Legislature). (DAR NOTE: S.B. 65 (2003) is found at UT L 2003 Ch 35, and was effective 05/05/2003.)

 

Summary of the rule or change:

The changes clarify how definitions apply to mining and exploration operations that are less than five acres in size.

 

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

Section 40-8-1 et seq.

 

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

There may be an insignificant increase in administrative costs to the state budget. This would occur initially but as operators comply with the bonding requirements, it will prevent future mine closures without bonds and thus prevent future costs to the state.

 

local governments:

Since local government rarely engages in mining operations, there will be little or no impact on these governmental entities.

 

other persons:

Other persons, such as bond issuing companies, may gain profit from issuing additional bonds to mining companies.

 

Compliance costs for affected persons:

Compliance cost increases to mining companies may be experienced because of the additional bonding requirements. The actual costs are approximately 1% of the amount of the reclamation cost estimate.

 

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

While this rule change could impose a financial burden on business, it provides a "safety net" that assures that the state is not left with unreclaimed mined lands. Michael R. Styler, Executive Director

 

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Natural Resources
Oil, Gas and Mining; Non-Coal
1594 W NORTH TEMPLE
SALT LAKE CITY UT 84116-3154

 

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

Ron Daniels at the above address, by phone at 801-538-5316, by FAX at 801-359-3940, or by Internet E-mail at [e-mail]

 

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

01/25/2006

 

Interested persons may attend a public hearing regarding this rule:

12/07/2005 at 10:00 AM, Natural Resources Bldg, 1594 W North Temple, Suite 1050, Salt Lake City, UT and 1/25/2006 at 10:00 AM, Natural Resources Bldg, 1594 W North Temple, Suite 1050, Salt Lake City, UT

 

This rule may become effective on:

01/26/2006

 

Authorized by:

Ron Daniels, Coordinator of Minerals Research

 

 

RULE TEXT

R647. Natural Resources; Oil, Gas and Mining; Non-Coal.

R647-1. Minerals Regulatory Program.

R647-1-106. Definitions.

"Act" means the Utah Mined Land Reclamation Act, enacted in 1975, as amended. (Section 40-8-1, et seq., UCA).

"Adjudicative proceeding" means an agency action or proceeding that determines the legal rights, duties, privileges, immunities, or other legal interests of one or more identifiable persons, including all agency actions to grant, deny, revoke, suspend, modify, annul, withdraw, or amend an authority, right, or license; and judicial review of all of such actions. Those matters not governed by Title 63, Chapter 46b, Administrative Procedures Act, of the Utah Code annotated (1953, as amended) shall not be included within this definition.

"Agency" means a board, commission, department, division, officer, council, office, committee, commission, bureau, or other administrative unit of this state, including the agency head, agency employees, or other persons acting on behalf of or under the authority of the agency head, but does not mean the Legislature, the courts, the governor, any political subdivision of the state, or any administrative unit of a political subdivision of the state.

"Agency head" means an individual or body of individuals in whom the ultimate legal authority of the agency is vested by statute.

"Amendment" is an insignificant change in the approved notice of intention.

"Approved Notice of Intention" means a formally filed notice of intention to commence mining operations, including any amendments or revisions thereto that is determined to be complete and contains a mining and reclamation plan, which has been approved by the Division. A[n approved] notice of intention [is not required ]for exploration having a disturbed area of five acres or less[ surface acres], or [for]a small mining operation[s] must be determined complete in writing by the Division, but does not require a mining and reclamation plan.

"Board" means the Utah Board of Oil, Gas and Mining. The Board shall hear all appeals of adjudicative proceedings which commenced before the Division as well as all adjudicative proceedings and other proceedings which commence before the Board. The Board may appoint a Hearing Examiner for its hearings in accordance with the Rules of Practice and Procedure before the Board of Oil, Gas and Mining.

"Deleterious Materials" means earth, waste or introduced materials exposed by mining operations to air, water, weather or microbiological processes, which would likely produce chemical or physical conditions in the soils or water that are detrimental to the biota or hydrologic systems.

"Deposit" or "mineral deposit" means an accumulation of mineral matter in the form of consolidated rock, unconsolidated materials, solutions, or otherwise occurring on the surface, beneath the surface, or in the waters of the land from which any useful product may be produced, extracted or obtained, or which is extracted by underground mining methods for underground storage. "Deposit" or "mineral deposit" excludes sand, gravel, rock aggregate, water, geothermal steam, and oil and gas, but includes oil shale and bituminous sands extracted by mining operations.

"Development" means the work performed in relation to a deposit following its discovery, but prior to and in contemplation of production mining operations. Development includes, but is not limited to, preparing the site for mining operations; further defining the ore deposit by drilling or other means; conducting pilot plant operations; and constructing roads or ancillary facilities.

"Disturbed Area" means the surface land disturbed by mining operations. The disturbed area for small mining operations shall not exceed five acres. The disturbed area for large mining operations shall not exceed the acreage described in the approved notice of intention.

"Division" means the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. The Division Director or designee is the Presiding Officer for all informal adjudicative proceedings which commence before the Division in accordance with Rule R647-5.

"Exempt Mining Operations" means those mining operations which were previously exempt from the Act because less than 500 tons of material was mined in a period of twelve consecutive months or less than two acres of land was excavated or used as a disposal site in a period of twelve consecutive months. These exemptions were eliminated by statutory amendments in 1986 and are no longer available.

"Exploration" means surface disturbing activities conducted for the purpose of discovering a deposit or mineral deposit, delineating the boundaries of a deposit or mineral deposit, and identifying regions or specific areas in which deposits or mineral deposits are most likely to exist. "Exploration" includes, but is not limited to: sinking shafts; tunneling; drilling holes; digging pits or cuts; building roads and other access ways.

"Gravel" means a naturally occurring unconsolidated to moderately consolidated accumulation of rock and mineral particles, the dominant size range being between 2mm and 10mm, which has been deposited by sedimentary processes.

"Land affected" means the surface and subsurface of an area within the state where mining operations are being or will be conducted, including, but not limited to: (a) on-site private ways, roads, and railroads; (b) land excavations; (c) exploration sites; (d) drill sites or workings; (e) refuse banks or spoil piles; (f) evaporation or settling ponds; (g) stockpiles; (h) leaching dumps; (i) placer areas; (j) tailings ponds or dumps; (k) work, parking, storage, or waste discharge areas, structures, and facilities. Land affected does not include: (x) lands which have been reclaimed in accordance with an approved plan or as otherwise approved by the Board, (y) lands on which mining operations ceased prior to July 1, 1977, or (z) lands on which previously exempt mining operations ceased prior to April 29, 1989.

"Large Mining Operations" means mining operations which have a disturbed area of more than five surface acres at any time.

"License" means a franchise, permit, certification, approval, registration, charter, or similar form of authorization required by statute.

"Mining operations" means those activities conducted on the surface of the land for the exploration for, development of, or extraction of a mineral deposit, including, but not limited to, surface mining and the surface effects of underground and in situ mining; on-site transportation, concentrating, milling, evaporation, and other primary processing. "Mining operation" does not include: the extraction of sand, gravel, and rock aggregate; the extraction of oil and gas; the extraction of geothermal steam; smelting or refining operations; off-site operations and transportation; [or ]reconnaissance activities; or activities which will not cause significant surface resource disturbance and do not involve the use of mechanized earth-moving equipment, such as bulldozers or backhoes.

"Notice of Intention" means a notice of intention to commence mining operations, that provide the complete information required for authorization to conduct mining operations, and includes[including] any amendments or revisions thereto.

"Off-site" means the land areas that are outside of or beyond the on-site land.

"On-site" means the surface lands on or under which surface or underground mining operations are conducted. A series of related properties under the control of a single operator but separated by small parcels of land controlled by others will be considered a single site unless excepted by the Division.

"Operator" means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, receiver, trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, fiduciary, agent, or other organization or representative of any kind, either public or private, owning, controlling, conducting, or managing a mining operation or proposed mining operation.

"Owner" means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, receiver, trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, fiduciary, agent, or other organization or representative of any kind, either public or private, owning, controlling, conducting, or managing a mineral deposit or the surface of lands employed in mining operations.

"Party" means the Board, Division or other person commencing an adjudicative proceeding, all respondents, all persons permitted by the Board to intervene in the proceeding, and all persons authorized by statute or agency rule to participate as parties in an adjudicative proceeding.

"Permit" means a notice to conduct mining operations issued by the Division. A notice to conduct mining operations is issued by the Division when either a notice of intention for a small mining operation or exploration is determined to be complete and includes a surety approved by the Division, or a notice of intention for a large mining operation or exploration with a plan of operations and surety approved by the Division.

"Person" means an individual, group of individuals, partnership, corporation, association, political subdivision or its units, governmental subdivision or its units, public or private organization or entity of any character, or another agency.

"Presiding Officer" means an agency head, or an individual or body of individuals designated by the agency head, by the agency's rules, or by statute to conduct an adjudicative proceeding. For the purpose of these rules, the Board, or its appointed Hearing Examiner, shall be considered the Presiding Officer of all appeals of informal adjudicative proceedings which commenced before the Division as well as all adjudicative proceedings which commence before the Board. The Division Director or his/her designee shall be considered a Presiding Officer for all informal adjudicative proceedings which commence before the Division in accordance with this Rule R647-5. If fairness to the parties is not compromised, an agency may substitute one Presiding Officer for another during any proceeding.

"Reclamation" means actions performed during or after mining operations to shape, stabilize, revegetate, or otherwise treat the land affected in order to achieve a safe and ecologically stable condition and use which will be consistent with local environmental conditions and land management practices.

"Regrade or Grade" means to physically alter the topography of any land surface.

"Respondent" means any person against whom an adjudicative proceeding is initiated, whether by an agency or any other person.

"Revision" means a change to an approved Notice of Intention to Conduct Mining Operations, which will increase or decrease the amount of land affected, or alter the location and type of on-site surface facilities, such that the nature of the reclamation plan will differ substantially from that in the approved Notice of Intention.

"Rock Aggregate" means those consolidated rock materials associated with a sand deposit, a gravel deposit, or a sand and gravel deposit, that were created by alluvial sedimentary processes. The definition of rock aggregate specifically excludes any solid rock in the form of bedrock which is exposed at the surface of the earth or overlain by unconsolidated material.

"Sand" means a naturally occurring unconsolidated to moderately consolidated accumulation of rock and mineral particles, the dominant size range being between 1/16mm to 2mm, which has been deposited by sedimentary processes.

"Small Mining Operations" means mining operations which have a disturbed area of five or less surface acres at any time.

"Surface Mining" means mining conducted on the surface of the land including open pit, strip, or auger mining; dredging; quarrying; leaching; surface evaporation operations; reworking abandoned dumps and tailings and activities related thereto.

"Underground Mining" means mining carried out beneath the surface by means of shafts, tunnels or other underground mine openings.

 

KEY: minerals reclamation

[June 1, 2004]2006

Notice of Continuation July 8, 2003

40-8-1 et seq.