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DEQ-backed bill would raise hard‑rock mining fees to fund reclamation; industry largely supports phased increases
Summary
House Bill 69 would update mining permit and annual fees that have not been raised in decades and direct them into a new permitting account to help DEQ implement the Metal Mine Reclamation Act. Industry groups and timberland owners testified they negotiated tiering and a multi‑year phase‑in.
Representative Steve Gist introduced House Bill 69, a DEQ‑sponsored bill to raise and modernize hard‑rock mining fees and redirect them into a new hard‑rock mining permitting program account to support implementation of the Metal Mine Reclamation Act (MMRA).
Dan Walsh, administrator for DEQ's Air, Energy and Mining Division, told the committee DEQ currently spends roughly $1.25 million in natural resource operations plus up to $461,000 of general fund to implement MMRA requirements. He said mining fees have averaged about $12,000 per year and have not…
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