State Sen. Tom Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, and State Rep. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, officially introduced their Regulatory Certainty Act Friday, which could reduce the powers local governments have to regulate mining operations in Wisconsin.
Currently, “quarries, aggregate producers and industrial sand companies face a patchwork of regulatory uncertainty depending upon where they are located in the state,” according to a Friday statement from the legislators. The bill seeks to alleviate regulatory uncertainty.
If the bill is approved, local communities would have to use their zoning powers instead of police powers to regulate mining corporations within the state, according to the statement.
Additionally, the bill could make the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources the state’s primary environmental regulator.
Ballweg cited the major economic impact of the mining industry as a reason for introducing the bill.
“Today we have 105 mines and 65 processing plants in Wisconsin, which means there are a lot of jobs at stake,” Ballweg said in the statement.
The bill was circulating in both houses of legislature at the time of publishing.
