State Fiscal Highlights
· No direct fiscal effect on the state.
Local Fiscal Highlights
· No direct fiscal effect on political subdivisions.
Detailed Fiscal Analysis
The bill grants eligible landowners who provide access to abandoned mine lands for the purposes of reclamation activities qualified immunity from liability for (1) injury or damage suffered by certain individuals that results from an act or omission of a reclamation project sponsor or as a result of a reclamation project, (2) any pollution resulting from a reclamation project, and (3) the operation, maintenance, or repair of any water pollution abatement facility constructed or installed during a reclamation project. The bill also requires a landowner to notify a reclamation project sponsor of known, latent, or dangerous conditions in the work area, and specifies that the immunity does not apply if the landowner fails to meet the notification requirements or otherwise engages in unlawful, negligent, reckless, or other specified activities.
The bill requires no explicit action by the state or local governments, and has no direct fiscal effect on the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), its Division of Mineral Resources Management (DMRM), which regulates mining and reclamation activities in the state, or on local political subdivisions.
