Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Industrial Mineral Parity Act of 2017”.
Industrial Mineral Parity Act of 2017
A BILL
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to allow for modified permits for industrial minerals remining operations, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Modified Permit for Remining Operations
In general— Section 301(p)(1) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1311(p)(1)) is amended by striking “coal”.
Limitations— Section 301(p)(2) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1311(p)(2)) is amended by striking “coal” each place it appears.
Definitions— Section 301(p)(3) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1311(p)(3)) is amended—
by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as subparagraphs (D) and (F), respectively;
by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
“(B) Industrial mineral—The term industrial mineral means limestone, clay, sand, gravel, diatomite, kaolin, bentonite, silica, barite, gypsum, or talc.
“(C) Industrial minerals remining operation—The term industrial minerals remining operation means an industrial minerals mining operation that begins after the date of the enactment of the Industrial Mineral Parity Act of 2017 at a site on which coal mining was conducted before the effective date of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.”
in subparagraph (D), as so redesignated, by striking “coal remining” and inserting “remining”; and
by inserting after subparagraph (D), as so redesignated, the following:
“(E) Remining operation—The term remining operation means a coal remining operation or an industrial minerals remining operation.”
Applicability of strip mining laws— Section 301(p)(4) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1311(p)(4)) is amended by striking “coal”.
Conforming amendment— Section 301(p) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1311(p)) is amended in the subsection heading by striking “coal”.