HOUSE BILL No. 4237

 

February 24, 2015, Introduced by Rep. Lucido and referred to the Committee on Energy Policy.

 

     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 not


 

have jurisdiction with reference to the issuance of permits for the

 

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

 

wells.

 

     (2) (3) An ordinance shall not prevent 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.

 

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

 

subsection (3) (2) 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.

 

     (4) (5) In determining under this section 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.

 

     (5) (6) Subsections (3) to (5) (2) to (4) do not limit a local

 

unit of government's reasonable regulation of 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 regulation shall be reasonable in

 

accommodating customary mining operations.

 

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

 

under other statutes or rules.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.