Ed McBroom

ISHPEMING — Finding a mine inspector who is qualified under current state law has not been easy for some counties in the Upper Peninsula, especially in areas where only abandoned mine properties are located.

In an effort to address the issue, state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedeh Township, introduced Senate Bill 1121 on Sept. 16.

Mine inspectors are currently governed under Public Act 163 of 1911, which requires Michigan counties where iron or copper mines are situated to elect a mine inspector to a four-year term.

Under current provisions of the act, the individual must have at least 10 years of actual experience in mining or possess a mining engineering or equivalent degree with at least two years of engineering experience.

McBroom’s proposed legislation would loosen those restrictions in counties where there are no active mining operations.

“The goal is to ensure that there is a mine inspector in these counties to work with property owners and protect the public from dangerous mine sites,” McBroom said in a recent phone interview.

Marquette County, which currently has two active mining operations — the Cleveland Cliffs’ Tilden Mine and Lundin’s Eagle Mine — would not be subject to the changes.

The bill would also allow two counties to share a county mine inspector if the elected official in one of those counties becomes unavailable, he said.

“What we are shooting for, if a county can’t get someone locally, or if an inspector suddenly leaves or dies in office, they would be able to partner with a neighboring county to get that done,” McBroom said.

Under the bill, if this provision were to become necessary, it would be subject to the approval of the board of commissioners from each county involved.

The agreement between the counties would be valid until the next general election, legislative documents state.

“There were several other (proposed) reforms to the current mine inspector act,” McBroom said, “but they are not ready yet. We simply accelerated this particular issue so that those counties that are struggling can have a solution. This was done most specifically upon the request of Ontonagon and Gogebic counties.”

The bill is not expected to have any fiscal impact on the state and an indeterminate fiscal impact on local governments, a legislative report states.

“For any county that has no iron or copper mines but has at least one other metallic mineral mine situated, there would be an added expense of holding elections for and paying an inspector of mines and his or her deputies,” the report states. “For any county that currently has an inspector of mines, but where only an abandoned, closed or idled metallic mineral mine is situated, the requirements for the position would be reduced. The bill could allow a county in that situation to offer lower compensation for the position, which would reduce expenditures by the difference.”

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.