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Division lists bills to watch, including mineral‑surety study, as 2025 session opens
Summary
Natasha Baliff, the division’s legislative coordinator, briefed the board on early 2025 legislation affecting minerals programs, including Senate Bill 34 directing a mineral surety study. The division expects follow‑up bills on brine, aggregate materials, and environmental litigation bonds and will provide weekly updates.
The Division of Oil, Gas and Mining gave the board a legislative preview Jan. 22, identifying bills already filed and others the division expects in the 2025 session.
Natasha Baliff, legislative and policy coordinator for the division, told the board the division has one numbered bill so far: Senate Bill 34, described by staff as a mineral‑surety study directed to the division and sponsored in the transcript by Senator Darren Owens. The study will examine multiple forms of surety, factors for calculating amounts, how other states approach surety, insurance and captive‑insurance products, and whether a surety pool is appropriate. The division must report back to the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Committee by Oct. 2025, Baliff said.
Baliff said the division also expects legislation related to brine (a follow‑up to House Bill 433 from 2024), an aggregate study follow‑up tied to House Bill 502, and new language on environmental‑litigation bonds intended to clarify primacy for the coal program. She said division staff also are discussing adding penalties to the Class 6 statute to satisfy EPA primacy requirements.
The division will provide weekly email updates to the board; staff also noted the division will present before the Natural Resources committee the next day and that the hearing is available online.
Why this matters: The mineral‑surety study and related bills could shape whether the state updates the mechanics and sources of financial assurance for mine and oil‑and‑gas liabilities. The division is coordinating closely with the governor’s office and legislative sponsors to shape technical provisions and timing.
What's next: Division staff will monitor bill language, share weekly updates with the board, and bring any bill language that affects board rules back to the board for review.
