H.R. 844 — Introduced in House

I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 844 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 29, 2019Mr. Gibbs introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to allow for modified permits for industrial minerals remining operations, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Industrial Mineral Parity Act of 2019. 2. Modified Permit for Remining Operations (a) 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. (b) 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. (c) Definitions Section 301(p)(3) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1311(p)(3)) is amended— (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as subparagraphs (D) and (F), respectively; (2) 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 2019 at a site on which coal mining was conducted before the effective date of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. ; (3) in subparagraph (D), as so redesignated, by striking coal remining and inserting remining; and (4) 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. . (d) 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. (e) 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.