as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 02/20/2024 08:21am
A bill for an act
relating to natural resources; prohibiting certain nonferrous mining activities in
Rainy River headwaters watershed; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 93.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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For the purposes of this section, "Rainy River headwaters
watershed" means that area of land and waters included in the Rainy River headwaters
watershed of the Lake of the Woods basin identified in Minnesota Rules, part 7050.0470,
subpart 2, item A, subitem (1), as hydrologic unit code 09030001 and designated on the
map of Minnesota's major watersheds under Minnesota Rules, part 7050.0469, as Rainy
Headwaters.
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Within the Rainy River headwaters watershed, a person may not:
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(1) dispose of or store waste tailings from nonferrous metallic mineral mining
aboveground;
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(2) store reactive waste rock from nonferrous metallic mineral mining aboveground;
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(3) use a heap leaching mining process when mining nonferrous metallic minerals; or
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(4) conduct nonferrous metallic mineral smelting.
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This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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