Bill
SB 5319
WA raises surface mine reclamation fees: $4,500 application fee; annual permit fee up to $3,500; $2,500 for public works mines; small-county cap of $1,000; helps fund DNR program.
Status & timeline
- Enacted by the 2025 Legislature; Governor signed 5/17/2025.
- Filed as Chapter 326, 2025 Laws. Effective 7/27/2025.
- Passed Senate (27–20) and House (60–37) after House amendments.
Purpose
- Adjust fees charged by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for surface mine reclamation permitting to provide additional revenue to support the Surface Mine Reclamation Program, which is primarily fee‑funded and has not raised fees in about 10 years.
Key provisions and changes
- Application fee: Sets a single nonrefundable application fee of $4,500 for any of the following: revision of an existing reclamation permit or plan, expansion of a permitted surface mine, a new reclamation permit, or combining existing permits. (Previously revisions were $2,500; new/expansion/combination were $4,500.)
- Annual permit fee (general): Increases the flat annual fee for most public or private permit holders from $2,000 to $3,500.
- Public works mines: Sets the annual fee for public permit holders for mines used exclusively for public works projects at $2,500 (lower than the $3,500 general rate).
- Small county cap: Restores a fee cap — annual fees paid by a county for mines used exclusively for public works projects with less than seven acres disturbed per mine shall not exceed $1,000.
- Application assistance timeline: DNR must notify applicants within 60 days of any information needed to complete new, expanded, or revised permit applications.
- Administrative details retained: confidentiality protections for submitted production/trade data; fees deposited to the surface mining reclamation account; enforcement remedies for nonpayment (suspension, fines, permit cancellation, collections).
Who is affected
- Surface mine operators, mine owners, and local governments with reclamation permits in Washington. Public works‑only mines (county-operated) receive reduced rates and a small‑mine cap; most private and larger public mines pay higher fees. DNR’s fee‑supported reclamation program is the intended beneficiary.
Fiscal and policy context
- The program is fee‑supported; proponents (DNR, industry association) say increases are needed to sustain staffing and annual site inspections. Opponents (small mine operators, county engineers, ports) warned the flat increases could disproportionately burden small producers, raise material costs for local public works, and drive closures or longer hauls. An alternative tiered fee amendment (by production tonnage) was proposed but not adopted. Testimony estimated the small-county exemption reduces revenue by about $60,000.
Other notes
- A fiscal note was requested and is available. No state appropriation accompanies the bill.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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