The Richland County Natural Resources Committee postponed action Thursday on a petition to reopen a nonmetallic mine after adjacent property owners told the committee there may be deed restrictions preventing transfer of mining rights and that the mine appears not to have been reclaimed as stated in county records.

Corrine Hendrickson, an adjacent property owner, told the committee she found a deed restriction indicating prior owners retained certain rights and that written permission from the holding company would be needed for a third party to operate the mine. Hendrickson said she had sent a copy of the deed restriction to county staff and an attorney and told the committee she did not believe the site had been reclaimed despite packet materials stating a reclamation plan was approved.

Committee members asked staff about the mine’s history, who would be the operator, and which party is responsible for reclamation. Staff said the operator typically holds the permit and is responsible for reclamation, and that the plan in the packet appeared to be an original reclamation plan produced by the previous owner, not the new company proposing to operate the mine.

The petitioner, identified in the packet as Lucas Winchell of Green Tech, did not appear at the meeting. Staff told the committee they would investigate the deed restriction, confirm whether written permission has been provided by the holding company, clarify ownership and reclamation status, and return with background records. The committee voted to postpone the petition to allow staff time to research the deed restriction, reclamation status and whether written permission has been provided to the proposed operator.

Committee discussion noted the county’s mining ordinance requires reclamation but does not impose a fixed time limit for reopening a mine if the rights remain unsold. Staff said they would explore whether the county’s mining rules or the reclamation file could be strengthened to prevent sites from remaining unreclaimed for decades.

The committee’s postponement preserves the county’s ability to require proof of reclamation planning and written operator authority before taking final action on the reopening request.