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S.B. 68 Enrolled

             1     

MINING PROTECTION AMENDMENTS

             2     
2009 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Sheldon L. Killpack

             5     
House Sponsor: Ron Bigelow

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill enacts and modifies provisions relating to the protection of mining uses.
             10      Highlighted Provisions:
             11          This bill:
             12          .    provides certain protection for specified mining uses of a mine operator that holds a
             13      large mine permit issued by the Division or Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining that
             14      have resulted, as of a specified date, in the production and selling of commercial
             15      quantities of a mineral deposit and that existed before a political subdivision limits
             16      the mining use;
             17          .    provides that vested mining uses, as defined, constitute a mining protection area;
             18          .    extends to mining protection areas some of the same protection or similar
             19      protection afforded agriculture and industrial protection areas;
             20          .    establishes a conclusive presumption for a vested mining use;
             21          .    defines features of a vested mining use;
             22          .    provides for the rights of a mine operator with a vested mining use; and
             23          .    provides a process for a mine operator to abandon a vested mining use.
             24      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             25          None
             26      Other Special Clauses:
             27          None
             28      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             29      AMENDS:


             30          17-41-101, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2007, Chapter 329
             31          17-41-306, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 168
             32          17-41-402, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 51
             33          17-41-403, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2006, Chapter 194
             34      ENACTS:
             35          17-41-402.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             36          17-41-501, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             37          17-41-502, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             38          17-41-503, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             39     
             40      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             41          Section 1. Section 17-41-101 is amended to read:
             42           17-41-101. Definitions.
             43          As used in this chapter:
             44          (1) "Advisory board" means:
             45          (a) for an agriculture protection area, the agriculture protection area advisory board
             46      created as provided in Section 17-41-201 ; and
             47          (b) for an industrial protection area, the industrial protection area advisory board
             48      created as provided in Section 17-41-201 .
             49          (2) (a) "Agriculture production" means production for commercial purposes of crops,
             50      livestock, and livestock products.
             51          (b) "Agriculture production" includes the processing or retail marketing of any crops,
             52      livestock, and livestock products when more than 50% of the processed or merchandised
             53      products are produced by the farm operator.
             54          (3) "Agriculture protection area" means a geographic area created under the authority
             55      of this chapter that is granted the specific legal protections contained in this chapter.
             56          (4) "Applicable legislative body" means:
             57          (a) with respect to a proposed agriculture protection area or industrial protection area:


             58          (i) the legislative body of the county in which the land proposed to be included in an
             59      agriculture protection area or industrial protection area is located, if the land is within the
             60      unincorporated part of the county; or
             61          (ii) the legislative body of the city or town in which the land proposed to be included
             62      in an agriculture protection area or industrial protection area is located; and
             63          (b) with respect to an existing agriculture protection area or industrial protection area:
             64          (i) the legislative body of the county in which the agriculture protection area or
             65      industrial protection area is located, if the agriculture protection area or industrial protection
             66      area is within the unincorporated part of the county; or
             67          (ii) the legislative body of the city or town in which the agriculture protection area or
             68      industrial protection area is located.
             69          (5) "Board" means the Board of Oil, Gas, and Mining created in Section 40-6-4 .
             70          [(5)] (6) "Crops, livestock, and livestock products" includes:
             71          (a) land devoted to the raising of useful plants and animals with a reasonable
             72      expectation of profit, including:
             73          (i) forages and sod crops;
             74          (ii) grains and feed crops;
             75          (iii) livestock as defined in Subsection 59-2-102 (27)(d);
             76          (iv) trees and fruits; or
             77          (v) vegetables, nursery, floral, and ornamental stock; or
             78          (b) land devoted to and meeting the requirements and qualifications for payments or
             79      other compensation under a crop-land retirement program with an agency of the state or
             80      federal government.
             81          (7) "Division" means the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining created in Section 40-6-15 .
             82          [(6)] (8) "Industrial protection area" means a geographic area created under the
             83      authority of this chapter that is granted the specific legal protections contained in this chapter.
             84          (9) "Mine operator" means a natural person, corporation, association, partnership,
             85      receiver, trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, fiduciary, agent, or other organization or


             86      representative, either public or private, including a successor, assign, affiliate, subsidiary, and
             87      related parent company, that, as of January 1, 2009:
             88          (a) owns, controls, or manages a mining use under a large mine permit issued by the
             89      division or the board; and
             90          (b) has produced commercial quantities of a mineral deposit from the mining use.
             91          (10) "Mineral deposit" has the same meaning as defined in Section 40-8-4 , but
             92      excludes:
             93          (a) building stone, decorative rock, and landscaping rock; and
             94          (b) consolidated rock that:
             95          (i) is not associated with another deposit of minerals;
             96          (ii) is or may be extracted from land; and
             97          (iii) is put to uses similar to the uses of sand, gravel, and other aggregates.
             98          (11) "Mining protection area" means land where a vested mining use occurs, including
             99      each surface or subsurface land or mineral estate that a mine operator with a vested mining use
             100      owns or controls.
             101          (12) "Mining use":
             102          (a) means:
             103          (i) the full range of activities, from prospecting and exploration to reclamation and
             104      closure, associated with the exploitation of a mineral deposit; and
             105          (ii) the use of the surface and subsurface and groundwater and surface water of an area
             106      in connection with the activities described in Subsection (12)(a)(i) that have been, are being,
             107      or will be conducted; and
             108          (b) includes, whether conducted on-site or off-site:
             109          (i) any sampling, staking, surveying, exploration, or development activity;
             110          (ii) any drilling, blasting, excavating, or tunneling;
             111          (iii) the removal, transport, treatment, deposition, and reclamation of overburden,
             112      development rock, tailings, and other waste material;
             113          (iv) any removal, transportation, extraction, beneficiation, or processing of ore;


             114          (v) any smelting, refining, autoclaving, or other primary or secondary processing
             115      operation;
             116          (vi) the recovery of any mineral left in residue from a previous extraction or
             117      processing operation;
             118          (vii) a mining activity that is identified in a work plan or permitting document;
             119          (viii) the use, operation, maintenance, repair, replacement, or alteration of a building,
             120      structure, facility, equipment, machine, tool, or other material or property that results from or
             121      is used in a surface or subsurface mining operation or activity;
             122          (ix) any accessory, incidental, or ancillary activity or use, both active and passive,
             123      including a utility, private way or road, pipeline, land excavation, working, embankment,
             124      pond, gravel excavation, mining waste, conveyor, power line, trackage, storage, reserve,
             125      passive use area, buffer zone, and power production facility;
             126          (x) the construction of a storage, factory, processing, or maintenance facility; and
             127          (xi) any activity described in Subsection 40-8-4 (14)(a).
             128          [(7)] (13) (a) "Municipal" means of or relating to a city or town.
             129          (b) "Municipality" means a city or town.
             130          (14) "New land" means surface or subsurface land or mineral estate that a mine
             131      operator gains ownership or control of, whether or not that land or mineral estate is included in
             132      the mine operator's large mine permit.
             133          (15) "Off-site" has the same meaning as provided in Section 40-8-4 .
             134          (16) "On-site" has the same meaning as provided in Section 40-8-4 .
             135          [(8)] (17) "Planning commission" means:
             136          (a) a countywide planning commission if the land proposed to be included in the
             137      agriculture protection area or industrial protection area is within the unincorporated part of the
             138      county and not within a township;
             139          (b) a township planning commission if the land proposed to be included in the
             140      agriculture protection area or industrial protection area is within a township; or
             141          (c) a planning commission of a city or town if the land proposed to be included in the


             142      agriculture protection area or industrial protection area is within a city or town.
             143          [(9)] (18) "Political subdivision" means a county, city, town, school district, local
             144      district, or special service district.
             145          [(10)] (19) "Proposal sponsors" means the owners of land in agricultural production or
             146      industrial use who are sponsoring the proposal for creating an agriculture protection area or
             147      industrial protection area, respectively.
             148          [(11)] (20) "State agency" means each department, commission, board, council,
             149      agency, institution, officer, corporation, fund, division, office, committee, authority,
             150      laboratory, library, unit, bureau, panel, or other administrative unit of the state.
             151          [(12)] (21) "Unincorporated" means not within a city or town.
             152          (22) "Vested mining use" means a mining use:
             153          (a) by a mine operator; and
             154          (b) that existed or was conducted or otherwise engaged in before a political
             155      subdivision prohibits, restricts, or otherwise limits a mining use.
             156          Section 2. Section 17-41-306 is amended to read:
             157           17-41-306. Adding land to or removing land from an agriculture protection area
             158      or industrial protection area -- Removing land from a mining protection area.
             159          (1) (a) Any owner may add land to an existing agriculture protection area or industrial
             160      protection area, as the case may be, by:
             161          (i) filing a proposal with:
             162          (A) the county legislative body, if the agriculture protection area or industrial
             163      protection area and the land to be added are within the unincorporated part of the county; or
             164          (B) the municipal legislative body, if the agriculture protection area or industrial
             165      protection area and the land to be added are within a city or town; and
             166          (ii) obtaining the approval of the applicable legislative body for the addition of the
             167      land to the area.
             168          (b) The applicable legislative body shall comply with the provisions for creating an
             169      agriculture protection area or industrial protection area, as the case may be, in determining


             170      whether or not to accept the proposal.
             171          (2) (a) Any owner of land within an agriculture protection area or industrial protection
             172      area may remove any or all of the land from the agriculture protection area or industrial
             173      protection area, respectively, by filing a petition for removal with the applicable legislative
             174      body.
             175          (b) (i) The applicable legislative body:
             176          (A) shall:
             177          (I) grant the petition for removal of land from an agriculture protection area or
             178      industrial protection area, as the case may be, even if removal of the land would result in an
             179      agriculture protection area or industrial protection area of less than the number of acres
             180      established by the applicable legislative body as the minimum under Section 17-41-301 ; and
             181          (II) in order to give constructive notice of the removal to all persons who have, may
             182      acquire, or may seek to acquire an interest in land in or adjacent to the agriculture protection
             183      area or industrial protection area and the land removed from the agriculture protection area or
             184      industrial protection area, file a legal description of the revised boundaries of the agriculture
             185      protection area or industrial protection area with the county recorder of deeds and the affected
             186      planning commission; and
             187          (B) may not charge a fee in connection with a petition to remove land from an
             188      agriculture protection area or an industrial protection area.
             189          (ii) The remaining land in the agriculture protection area or industrial protection area
             190      is still an agriculture protection area or industrial protection area, respectively.
             191          (3) (a) If a municipality annexes any land that is part of an agriculture protection area
             192      or industrial protection area located in the unincorporated part of the county, the county
             193      legislative body shall, within 30 days after the land is annexed, review the feasibility of that
             194      land remaining in the agriculture protection area or industrial protection area according to the
             195      procedures and requirements of Section 17-41-307 .
             196          (b) The county legislative body shall remove the annexed land from the agriculture
             197      protection area or industrial protection area, as the case may be, if:


             198          (i) the county legislative body concludes, after the review under Section 17-41-307 ,
             199      that removal is appropriate; and
             200          (ii) the owners of all the annexed land that is within the agriculture protection area or
             201      industrial protection area consent in writing to the removal.
             202          (c) Removal of land from an agriculture protection area or industrial protection area
             203      under this Subsection (3) does not affect whether that land may be:
             204          (i) included in a proposal under Section 17-41-301 to create an agriculture protection
             205      area or industrial protection area within the municipality; or
             206          (ii) added to an existing agriculture protection area or industrial protection area within
             207      the municipality under Subsection (1).
             208          (4) A mine operator that owns or controls land within a mining protection area may
             209      remove any or all of the land from the mining protection area by filing a notice of removal
             210      with the legislative body of the county in which the land is located.
             211          Section 3. Section 17-41-402 is amended to read:
             212           17-41-402. Limitations on local regulations.
             213          (1) A political subdivision within which an agriculture protection area or industrial
             214      protection area is created or with a mining protection area within its boundary shall encourage
             215      the continuity, development, and viability of agriculture [or], industrial, or mining use,
             216      respectively, within the area by not enacting a local law, ordinance, or regulation that would
             217      unreasonably restrict a farm structure or farm practice or, in the case of an industrial
             218      protection area, an industrial use of the land within the area or, in the case of a mining
             219      protection area, a mining use within the protection area unless the law, ordinance, or
             220      regulation bears a direct relationship to public health or safety.
             221          (2) A political subdivision may not change the zoning designation of or a zoning
             222      regulation affecting land within an agriculture protection area unless the political subdivision
             223      receives written approval for the change from all the landowners within the agriculture
             224      protection area affected by the change.
             225          (3) Except as provided by Section 19-4-113 , a political subdivision may not change


             226      the zoning designation of or a zoning regulation affecting land within an industrial protection
             227      area unless the political subdivision receives written approval for the change from all the
             228      landowners within the industrial protection area affected by the change.
             229          (4) A political subdivision may not change the zoning designation of or a zoning
             230      regulation affecting land within a mining protection area unless the political subdivision
             231      receives written approval for the change from each mine operator within the area.
             232          Section 4. Section 17-41-402.5 is enacted to read:
             233          17-41-402.5. Limits on political subdivisions with respect to a vested mining use --
             234      Exception.
             235          (1) A political subdivision may not:
             236          (a) terminate a vested mining use, whether by amortization, the exercise of police
             237      power, or otherwise;
             238          (b) prohibit, restrict, or otherwise limit a mine operator with a vested mining use from
             239      exercising the rights permitted under this chapter;
             240          (c) require, for a vested mining use:
             241          (i) a variance;
             242          (ii) a conditional use permit;
             243          (iii) a special exception;
             244          (iv) the establishment or determination of a nonconforming use right; or
             245          (v) any other type of zoning or land use permit; or
             246          (d) prohibit, restrict, limit, or otherwise regulate a vested mining use under a variance,
             247      conditional use permit, special exception, or other zoning or land use permit issued before
             248      May 12, 2009.
             249          (2) Subsection (1) does not prohibit a political subdivision from requiring a vested
             250      mining use to comply with the generally applicable, reasonable health and safety regulations
             251      and building code adopted by the political subdivision including a drinking water protection
             252      zone as defined and limited to Subsection 19-4-113 (4)(a) and (b).
             253          Section 5. Section 17-41-403 is amended to read:


             254           17-41-403. Nuisances.
             255          (1) Each political subdivision shall ensure that any of its laws or ordinances that
             256      define or prohibit a public nuisance exclude from the definition or prohibition:
             257          (a) for an agriculture protection area, any agricultural activity or operation within an
             258      agriculture protection area conducted using sound agricultural practices unless that activity or
             259      operation bears a direct relationship to public health or safety; or
             260          (b) for an industrial protection area, any industrial use of the land within the industrial
             261      protection area that is consistent with sound practices applicable to the industrial use, unless
             262      that use bears a direct relationship to public health or safety.
             263          (2) In a civil action for nuisance or a criminal action for public nuisance under Section
             264      76-10-803 , it is a complete defense if the action involves agricultural activities and those
             265      agricultural activities were:
             266          (a) conducted within an agriculture protection area; and
             267          (b) not in violation of any federal, state, or local law or regulation relating to the
             268      alleged nuisance or were conducted according to sound agricultural practices.
             269          (3) (a) A vested mining use undertaken in conformity with applicable federal and state
             270      law and regulations is presumed to be operating within sound mining practices.
             271          (b) A vested mining use that is consistent with sound mining practices:
             272          (i) is presumed to be reasonable; and
             273          (ii) may not constitute a private or public nuisance under Section 76-10-803 .
             274          (c) A vested mining use in operation for more than three years may not be considered
             275      to have become a private or public nuisance because of a subsequent change in the condition
             276      of land within the vicinity of the vested mining use.
             277          [(3)] (4) (a) For any new subdivision development located in whole or in part within
             278      300 feet of the boundary of an agriculture protection area, the owner of the development shall
             279      provide notice on any plat filed with the county recorder the following notice:
             280     
"Agriculture Protection Area

             281          This property is located in the vicinity of an established agriculture protection area in


             282      which normal agricultural uses and activities have been afforded the highest priority use
             283      status. It can be anticipated that such agricultural uses and activities may now or in the future
             284      be conducted on property included in the agriculture protection area. The use and enjoyment
             285      of this property is expressly conditioned on acceptance of any annoyance or inconvenience
             286      which may result from such normal agricultural uses and activities."
             287          (b) For any new subdivision development located in whole or in part within 1,000 feet
             288      of the boundary of an industrial protection area, the owner of the development shall provide
             289      notice on any plat filed with the county recorder the following notice:
             290          
"Industrial Protection Area

             291          This property is located in the vicinity of an established industrial protection area in
             292      which normal industrial uses and activities have been afforded the highest priority use
             293      status. It can be anticipated that such industrial uses and activities may now or in the
             294      future be conducted on property included in the industrial protection area. The use and
             295      enjoyment of this property is expressly conditioned on acceptance of any annoyance or
             296      inconvenience which may result from such normal industrial uses and activities."
             297          (c) For any new subdivision development located in whole or in part within 1,000 feet
             298      of the boundary of a mining protection area, the owner of the development shall provide notice
             299      on any plat filed with the county recorder the following notice:
             300          "This property is located within the vicinity of an established mining protection area in
             301      which normal mining uses and activities have been afforded the highest priority use status. It
             302      can be anticipated that the mining uses and activities may now or in the future be conducted
             303      on property included in the mining protection area. The use and enjoyment of this property is
             304      expressly conditioned on acceptance of any annoyance or inconvenience that may result from
             305      the normal mining uses and activities."
             306          Section 6. Section 17-41-501 is enacted to read:
             307     
Part 5. Vested Mining Use

             308          17-41-501. Vested mining use -- Conclusive presumption.
             309          (1) (a) A mining use is conclusively presumed to be a vested mining use if the mining


             310      use existed or was conducted or otherwise engaged in before a political subdivision prohibits,
             311      restricts, or otherwise limits the mining use.
             312          (b) Anyone claiming that a vested mining use has not been established has the burden
             313      of proof to show by clear and convincing evidence that the vested mining use has not been
             314      established.
             315          (2) A vested mining use:
             316          (a) runs with the land; and
             317          (b) may be changed to another mining use without losing its status as a vested mining
             318      use.
             319          (3) The present or future boundary described in the large mine permit of a mine
             320      operator with a vested mining use does not limit:
             321          (a) the scope of the mine operator's rights under this chapter; or
             322          (b) the protection that this chapter provides for a mining protection area.
             323          (4) (a) A mine operator with a vested mining use shall file a declaration for recording
             324      in the office of the recorder of the county in which the vested mining use is located.
             325          (b) A declaration under Subsection (4)(a) shall:
             326          (i) contain a legal description of the land included within the vested mining use; and
             327          (ii) provide notice of the vested mining use.
             328          Section 7. Section 17-41-502 is enacted to read:
             329          17-41-502. Rights of a mine operator with a vested mining use -- Expanding
             330      vested mining use.
             331          (1) Notwithstanding a political subdivision's prohibition, restriction, or other
             332      limitation on a mining use adopted after the establishment of the mining use, the rights of a
             333      mine operator with a vested mining use include the rights to:
             334          (a) progress, extend, enlarge, grow, or expand the vested mining use to any surface or
             335      subsurface land or mineral estate that the mine operator owns or controls;
             336          (b) expand the vested mining use to any new land that:
             337          (i) is contiguous and related in mineralization to surface or subsurface land or a


             338      mineral estate that the mine operator already owns or controls;
             339          (ii) contains minerals that are part of the same mineral trend as the minerals that the
             340      mine operator already owns or controls; or
             341          (iii) is a geologic offshoot to surface or subsurface land or a mineral estate that the
             342      mine operator already owns or controls;
             343          (c) use, operate, construct, reconstruct, restore, extend, expand, maintain, repair, alter,
             344      substitute, modernize, upgrade, and replace equipment, processes, facilities, and buildings on
             345      any surface or subsurface land or mineral estate that the mine operator owns or controls;
             346          (d) increase production or volume, alter the method of mining or processing, and mine
             347      or process a different or additional mineral than previously mined or owned on any surface or
             348      subsurface land or mineral estate that the mine operator owns or controls; and
             349          (e) discontinue, suspend, terminate, deactivate, or continue and reactivate, temporarily
             350      or permanently, all or any part of the mining use.
             351          (2) (a) As used in this Subsection (2), "applicable legislative body" means the
             352      legislative body of each:
             353          (i) county in whose unincorporated area the new land to be included in the vested
             354      mining use is located; and
             355          (ii) municipality in which the new land to be included in the vested mining use is
             356      located.
             357          (b) A mine operator with a vested mining use is presumed to have a right to expand
             358      the vested mining use to new land.
             359          (c) Before expanding a vested mining use to new land, a mine operator shall provide
             360      written notice:
             361          (i) of the mine operator's intent to expand the vested mining use; and
             362          (ii) to each applicable legislative body.
             363          (d) (i) An applicable legislative body shall:
             364          (A) hold a public meeting or hearing at its next available meeting that is more than ten
             365      days after receiving the notice under Subsection (2)(c); and


             366          (B) provide reasonable, advance, written notice:
             367          (I) of:
             368          (Aa) the intended expansion of the vested mining use; and
             369          (Bb) the public meeting or hearing; and
             370          (II) to each owner of the surface estate of the new land.
             371          (ii) A public meeting or hearing under Subsection (2)(d)(i) serves to provide sufficient
             372      public notice of the mine operator's intent to expand the vested mining use to the new land.
             373          (e) After the public meeting or hearing under Subsection (2)(d)(ii), a mine operator
             374      may expand a vested mining use to new land without any action by an applicable legislative
             375      body, unless there is clear and convincing evidence in the record that the expansion to new
             376      land will imminently endanger the public health, safety, and welfare.
             377          (3) If a mine operator expands a vested mining use to new land, as authorized under
             378      this section:
             379          (a) the mine operator's rights under the vested mining use with respect to land on
             380      which the vested mining use occurs apply with equal force after the expansion to the new land;
             381      and
             382          (b) the mining protection area that includes land on which the vested mining use
             383      occurs is expanded to include the new land.
             384          Section 8. Section 17-41-503 is enacted to read:
             385          17-41-503. Abandonment of a vested mining use.
             386          (1) A mine operator may abandon some or all of a vested mining use only as provided
             387      in this section.
             388          (2) To abandon some or all of a vested mining use, a mine operator shall record a
             389      written declaration of abandonment with the recorder of the county in which the vested mining
             390      use being abandoned is located.
             391          (3) The written declaration of abandonment under Subsection (2) shall specify the
             392      vested mining use or the portion of the vested mining use being abandoned.


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