Sec. 63201.

As used in this part:

(a) "Administratively complete" describes an application for a mining permit under this part that contains all of the documents and information required under this part and any rules promulgated under this part.

(b) "Affected area" means an area outside of the mining area where the land surface, surface water, groundwater, or air resources are determined through an environmental impact assessment to be potentially affected by mining operations within the proposed mining area.

(c) "Department" means the department of environmental quality.

(d) "Emergency management coordinator" means that term as defined in section 2 of the emergency management act, 1976 PA 390, MCL 30.402.

(e) "Fund" means the nonferrous metallic mineral surveillance fund created in section 63217.

(f) "Metallic product" means a commercially salable mineral produced primarily for its nonferrous metallic mineral content in its final marketable form or state.

(g) "Mining", except as provided in subdivision (h), means the excavation or removal of more than 10,000 tons of earth material in a calendar year or disturbing more than 1 acre of land in a calendar year in the regular operation of a business for the purpose of extracting a nonferrous metallic mineral or minerals by 1 or both of the following:

(i) Removing the overburden lying above natural deposits of a mineral and excavating directly from the natural deposits thus exposed or by excavating directly from deposits lying exposed in their natural state.

(ii) Excavating from below the surface of the ground by means of shafts, tunnels, or other subsurface openings.

(h) Mining does not include an operation that is subject to part 634.

(i) "Mining area" means an area of land from which earth material is removed in connection with nonferrous metallic mineral mining, the lands on which material from that mining is stored or deposited, the lands on which beneficiating or treatment plants and auxiliary facilities are located, the lands on which the water reservoirs used in the nonferrous metallic mineral mining process are located, and auxiliary lands that are used in connection with the mining.

(j) "Mining permit" means a permit issued under this part for conducting nonferrous metallic mineral mining and reclamation operations.

(k) "Nonferrous metallic mineral" means any ore or material to be excavated from the natural deposits on or in the earth for its metallic content, but not primarily for its iron or iron mineral content, to be used for commercial or industrial purposes.

(l) "Nonferrous metallic mineral operator" or "operator" means a permittee or other person who is engaged in, or who is preparing to engage in, mining operations for nonferrous metallic minerals, whether individually or jointly, or through agents, employees, or contractors.

(m) "Permittee" means a person who holds a mining permit.

(n) "Postclosure monitoring period" means a period following closure of a nonferrous metallic mineral mine during which the permittee is required to conduct monitoring of groundwater and surface water.

(o) "Stockpile" means material, including, but not limited to, surface overburden, rock, or lean ore, that in the process of mining and beneficiation or treatment has been removed from the earth and stored on the surface. Stockpile does not include materials that are being treated in the production of metallic products and the metallic product that has been produced by that operation.

(p) "Tailings basin" means land on which is deposited, by hydraulic or other means, the material that is separated from the metallic product in the beneficiation or treatment of minerals and includes any surrounding dikes constructed to contain the material.

History: Add. 2004, Act 449, Imd. Eff. Dec. 27, 2004 ;-- Am. 2017, Act 40, Eff. Aug. 21, 2017 Popular Name: Act 451Popular Name: NREPA