HOUSE BILL No. 5898

 

November 6, 2014, Introduced by Reps. Driskell, Faris, Irwin, Barnett, Dianda and Hovey-Wright and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

 

     A bill to amend 2006 PA 110, entitled

 

"Michigan zoning enabling act,"

 

by amending section 205 (MCL 125.3205), as amended by 2012 PA 389.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 205. (1) A zoning ordinance is subject to all of the

 

following:

 

     (a) The electric transmission line certification act, 1995 PA

 

30, MCL 460.561 to 460.575.

 

     (b) The regional transit authority act, 2012 PA 387, MCL

 

124.541 to 124.558.

 

     (2) A county or township shall not regulate or control the

 

drilling, completion, or operation of oil or gas wells or other

 

wells drilled for oil or gas exploration purposes and shall does


 

not have jurisdiction with reference to the issuance of permits for

 

the location, drilling, completion, operation, or abandonment of

 

such those wells.

 

     (3) An ordinance may prohibit the extraction, by mining, of

 

sand or gravel from 1 or more properties if the local unit of

 

government either has designated and planned for other areas within

 

its jurisdiction where extracting the natural resource is feasible

 

and reasonable or has determined that it is not feasible and

 

reasonable to extract the natural resource anywhere in its

 

jurisdiction. An ordinance under this subsection shall be based on

 

the local unit of government's reasonable assessment, pursuant to

 

section 203, of all of the following:

 

     (a) The presence and quality of the natural resource within

 

its jurisdiction.

 

     (b) Market demand for the natural resource.

 

     (c) Current and planned-for natural and man-made conditions

 

within the jurisdiction.

 

     (4) Except as provided in subsection (3), an ordinance shall

 

not prevent prohibit the extraction, by mining, of valuable natural

 

resources from any property unless very serious consequences would

 

result from the extraction of those natural resources. Natural

 

resources shall be considered valuable for the purposes of this

 

section if a person, by extracting the natural resources, can

 

receive revenue and reasonably expect to operate at a profit.

 

     (5) (4) A person challenging a zoning decision under

 

subsection (3) (4) has the initial burden of showing that there are

 

valuable natural resources located on the relevant property, that


 

there is a need for the natural resources by the person or in the

 

market served by the person, and that no very serious consequences

 

would result from the extraction, by mining, of the natural

 

resources.

 

     (6) (5) In determining under this section subsections (4) and

 

(5) whether very serious consequences would result from the

 

extraction, by mining, of natural resources, the standards set

 

forth in Silva v Ada Township, 416 Mich 153 (1982), shall be

 

applied and all of the following factors may be considered, if

 

applicable:

 

     (a) The relationship of extraction and associated activities

 

with existing land uses.

 

     (b) The impact on existing land uses in the vicinity of the

 

property.

 

     (c) The impact on property values in the vicinity of the

 

property and along the proposed hauling route serving the property,

 

based on credible evidence.

 

     (d) The impact on pedestrian and traffic safety in the

 

vicinity of the property and along the proposed hauling route

 

serving the property.

 

     (e) The impact on other identifiable health, safety, and

 

welfare interests in the local unit of government.

 

     (f) The overall public interest in the extraction of the

 

specific natural resources on the property.

 

     (7) (6) Subsections (3) to (5) (6) do not limit a local unit

 

of government's reasonable regulation of mining operations,

 

including, but not limited to, hours of operation, blasting hours,


 

noise levels, dust control measures, and traffic, not preempted by

 

part 632 of the natural resources and environmental protection act,

 

1994 PA 451, MCL 324.63201 to 324.63223. However, such the

 

regulation shall be reasonable in accommodating customary mining

 

operations.

 

     (8) (7) This act does not limit state regulatory authority

 

under other statutes or rules.