The State LatestSome good news. If underground mining..no permits are required..including the Exclusion Permit.
If all of the operations are underground and there is no surface disturbance at all, then it would not require an exclusion certificate or operating permit from DOGAMI. However, if there is any amount of surface disturbance related to mining activities, that disturbance is considered surface mining. Therefore, the thresholds for exclusion certificates and operating permits apply to those disturbances.
517.750 (14) “Surface impacts of underground mining” means all waste materials produced by underground mining and placed upon the surface including, but not limited to, waste dumps, mill tailings, washing plant fines and all surface subsidence related to underground mining.
(15)(a) “Surface mining” includes:
(A) All or any part of the process of mining minerals by the removal of overburden and the extraction of natural mineral deposits thereby exposed by any method by which more than 5,000 cubic yards of minerals are extracted or by which at least one acre of land is affected within a period of 12 consecutive calendar months, including open-pit mining operations, auger mining operations, processing, surface impacts of underground mining, production of surface mining refuse and the construction of adjacent or off-site borrow pits (except those constructed for use as access roads).
I hope this helps to clarify whether or not a permit or certificate would be necessary. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need more information.
Case closed CP