Idaho Bills

Repeals and adds to existing law to establish provisions regarding ore processing by cyanidation.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality regulates the use of cyanidation in the mining industry. This update to Idaho Code establishes requirements to ensure that cyanidation facilities contain, control, and treat cyanidation process water, spent ore, tailings and other materials to prevent discharges of cyanidation pollutants as to not impair the beneficial use of, or degrade, waters of the State. This legislation moves administrative rule into statute and updates the regulatory framework regarding the application process to provide clarity and align with current and modern industry standards. Included in the updates are additional opportunities for public review, elimination of certain redundancies with other Idaho regulations, and clarifications to application standards and timing.