Transcript Highlights:

• But it's a world-class industrial...
• That rail would be very useful in helping uranium mine cleanup, but there are mines in this county.
• She can claim, "Hey, this isn't mine."
• In that, that is true creative economy work, because we're taking traditional industry and creative industries
• NTEC owns the Navajo mine.

Transcript Highlights:

• Adding 1.5% of sales to the data mining operation was not a very feasible option.
• to cryptobased data mining operations. to cryptobased data mining operations.
• The threshold cryptobased data mining.
• <00:04:30.960> operation to have a crypto mining operation to have a crypto mining operation
• <00:18:39.520> coming has extremely large industries coming has extremely large industries

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 3296, as amended, was heard in committee and laid over. The bill would extend an existing exemption in Minnesota’s energy conservation/efficiency program calculations so that certain data centers, like crypto-based data mining operations, would not be counted in a utility’s gross annual retail sales if the new load increases the utility’s base load by 40% or more. Representative Gilman and testifier David Meyer of Glenco Light and Power argued the change is needed because large data loads can make the 1.5% annual savings target effectively unattainable for smaller municipal utilities, and they said the added revenue from the facility has helped lower rates for other customers. Ken Sulum of the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association supported the bill, describing it as narrowly drafted to address mid-sized data centers that do not fit other relief provisions but still create local utility problems. Sarah Wolf of Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light opposed the exemption, arguing that energy efficiency remains important amid rising demand and grid stress from data centers, and that large users should continue contributing to efficiency efforts rather than being exempted. Members raised questions about whether the facility had a long-term contract, whether the customer was helping lower rates, and how much savings were being passed on to ratepayers. Meyer said the customer had a three-year agreement extended another three years, the infrastructure costs were borne by the customer, and the facility’s revenue has allowed Glenco to reduce rates by about half a cent per kilowatt hour through a $40,000 monthly buy-down of its power cost adjustment. Some members expressed concern that data centers should continue to improve efficiency over time, while others noted the bill’s focus on smaller utilities facing disproportionate impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, who work at the mines.
• It's oil and gas day, but mining.
• The mine has changed over the years.
• I support the oil and gas industry, and we all should.
• So I am beyond grateful for the oil and gas industry.

Bills: HM3, HM11, HM14, HM15, HM18, HM21, HB10, HB11, HB12, HB13, HB14, HB31, HB50

Keywords: nurses, health care workers, healthcare workers, frontline workers, hospital staff, clinicians, allied health professionals, support staff, public health, workforce shortage, nursing shortage, safe staffing, patient safety, rural health care, frontier communities, behavioral health, mental health, substance use disorder, substance abuse, health care memorial

Transcript Highlights:

• large data mining large data mining operations<00:50:21.680> that<00:50:22.280> uh
• business as an IND to put a data mining business as an IND industry<00:50:42.200> into<00:50:
• data mining data mining operation<00:51:21.400> and<00:51:21.880> on<00:51:22.119>
• understand the fact that digital mining understand the fact that digital mining operations<00:56
• that they put a a moratorium on mining that they put a a moratorium on mining they<01:02:45.279>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee met in executive session and first discussed scheduling, noting that Town Meeting Day would cancel the next Tuesday meeting, that they would meet Wednesday instead, and that remaining bills would be handled through subcommittees and a likely final executive session on the 19th to meet the deadline for committee action on the 20th. The committee then took up several bills, with repeated roll calls and votes, often placing measures on the consent calendar after committee approval. House Bill 185 on ambulance reimbursement rates was described as a perennial issue and was voted inexpedient to legislate, with members noting concerns that an any-willing-provider approach would make premium impacts hard to evaluate. House Bill 186 on cannabis legalization was retained for further work, with members saying the bill addressed stopping marijuana arrests but that the sales and implementation details still needed more development. House Bill 241 on treatment alternatives to opioids was also retained because the sponsor could not attend and the committee wanted more time to continue work. The committee then considered House Bill 302 on state treasury investments in digital assets and precious metals. The amendment narrowed the proposal, removing more complicated provisions like stable tokens and staking, lowering the authorized allocation from 10% to 5%, and limiting eligible digital assets to those with very high market capitalization; members discussed volatility, the treasurer’s discretion, and oversight through bond-rating concerns. The amendment and the bill as amended both passed, and the bill was placed on the consent calendar. Other measures moved quickly: House Bill 451 on a paint product stewardship program was amended to remove direct funding and framed as manufacturer-run enabling legislation, then passed and was placed on consent; House Bill 499 made technical corrections to insurance laws and passed unanimously; House Bill 538 on relocating Liquor Commission positions passed unanimously; House Bill 552 on children covered under the state retirement insurance plan was cleaned up to remove a student requirement and passed unanimously; and a blockchain/digital currencies bill was amended to address noise and local regulation concerns for data mining operations, with supporters emphasizing energy-use issues, municipal authority, and a separate commission studying regulation. That bill also passed and was sent to consent.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, let's hear from industry. I know industry is here in the space. A couple friends of mine.
• I'm here on behalf of the Trona Industry and the Wyoming Mining Association.
• Chairman, this is a topic that the mining association, the trona industry, and the petroleum association
• I mean, the predominant concern within the mining industry really is the concerns raised by trona.
• The legacy industries of Wyoming, including oil and gas, manufacturing, mining, etc.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the mining and the reclamation after the fact.
• And actually on the mining side, we never had a storage issue here because we didn't store. mining side
• mining and the reclamation after the fact.
• All of those are also mined.
• They're not mining in France.

Bills: SB78, SB235, SB22, SB310

Keywords: nuclear energy, renewable energy, sustainability, carbon emissions, energy regulation, microgrid, zero carbon resources, Public Regulation Commission, energy generation, electric utilities, motor vehicle manufacturers, licensing, dealers, franchise agreements, consumer protection, water supply, sewage improvements, environment, funding, Mora County

Transcript Highlights:

• So we do have mining companies that do various types of aggregates and other types of mined materials
• We have policies around leakage, not having industries leave the state, even polluting industries just
• I don't think it would ever include anything kind of mining.
• I don't think it would ever include anything kind of mining.
• We went, yay, in industry. And then we see this come back.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But the mining industry didn't like that.
• This bill is another unnecessary giveaway to the mining industry.
• unnecessary giveaway to the mining unnecessary giveaway to the mining industry.<02:30:26.880>
• It bears repeating: the mining industry already has a sweetheart deal on our public lands.
• ><02:32:02.800> already repeating, the mining industry already repeating, the mining industry

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, December 18, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Your Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining has had under consideration Engrossed Committee Substitute
• Read it first time and re-referred to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining.
• The bill be advanced and referred to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining.
• Your Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining will meet tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. in 208 West.
• Your Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining will meet tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. in 208 West.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those mine rescue teams, for each mine, have to be within one hour's drive of the mine.
• That's never happened before, and I have to give credit both to the mining industry and to the Division
• <00:16:11.480> industry<00:16:12.160> and credit both to the mining industry and credit
• both to the mining industry and to<00:16:12.480> the<00:16:12.639> division<00:16:12.959
• So I want to give kudos, as I said, both to the industry and to our Division of Mine Safety for that

Keywords: 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:30 Energy and Environment Cabinet 18:56 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The Tourism and Energy committee received a presentation from Gordon Sloan, Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, and Deputy Commissioner David Fields on the Division of Mine Safety. They outlined the division’s structure, saying it has four branch offices in Madisonville, Harlan, Hazard, and Pikeville, with 36 inspectors total, plus administrative staff and several headquarters specialists. They also explained that four additional inspectors are on sick leave or workers’ compensation and will not be backfilled, and confirmed that inspectors work from offices rather than from home. The presentation focused on mine safety duties and staffing needs. Sloan said underground licensed mines must receive six inspections annually, including mine safety analyses, an electrical inspection, roof inspections, and regular inspections of airways, returns, belts, and miner safety equipment. He also described the division’s mine rescue responsibilities, including providing rescue coverage where operators do not have their own teams, maintaining teams within an hour’s drive of mines, and supporting training and certification. The division also conducts 17 training courses and about 8,000 to 9,000 trainings per year. Members were given updated mine and employment figures. Sloan reported 126 licensed mines in 2024 across the branch areas, with 61 active all year and others idle or later abandoned. He said Kentucky had 4,683 miners in 2024, with average employment of 4,509, and noted that the state had gone 34 months without a mining fatality since March 2022. He also said the division provides rescue services for 16 underground rock quarries, three highway tunnels, and three underground military training sites. In response to questions, Sloan said the division does not plan to refill the four vacant inspector positions because staffing is adequate statewide, and he said he would provide additional historical mine data later. The committee took no formal action and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving on to abandoned uranium mine cleanup.” “Moving on to abandoned uranium mine cleanup.
• And the second mine that I have here is the St. Anthony Mine, which is being operated by GE.
• These included the Moe No. 4 Mine, Schmidt DeKline Mine, and the Red Bluff Number One Mine.
• We issue permits for exploration for new mining, as well as permits for new mining.
• But what industry is it?

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from the Environment Department on PFAS contamination in private wells in La Cienega, Santa Fe County. Staff said the plume likely came from historic use of firefighting foam associated with airport and National Guard fire-training activities, with possible additional contribution from septic systems and consumer products. They described the contamination as affecting about 200 private wells, the short-term response of providing residential filters through a $2 million legislative appropriation, and ongoing work to define the plume’s full extent, identify responsible parties, and consider longer-term regional water solutions. Members asked about filter costs, replacement schedules, disposal of used cartridges, follow-up testing, health studies, and whether cleanup or containment had begun; the department said cleanup would follow once the plume is fully mapped and that DOH is soliciting interest in a blood study. The committee also discussed the need to track disposal of PFAS filters and the possibility of broader statewide capacity for similar work. The committee then took up abandoned uranium mine cleanup. NMED and EMNRD staff reviewed the new uranium mine reclamation program created by HB 164, the state dashboard tracking sites, and the FY26 appropriation of $20 million for neglected contaminated sites, of which $12 million is being used for neglected uranium mines and the remainder for other contaminated sites. They said six contractors were hired, three priority sites in Grant County are moving forward quickly, and additional sites are being prepared for possible FY27 work. Members pressed for details on how funds are spent, why the revolving fund remains unfunded, how federal, state, tribal, and landowner requirements are coordinated, where contaminated material will be moved, and whether cleanup could also address homes built with contaminated materials. Staff said the work is governed by multiple regulatory layers, that the state is seeking an additional $25 million for FY27-FY28 plus a time extension, and that partnerships with tribes would require longer-term agreements. The committee also discussed federal cleanup efforts and the new Good Samaritan law, with members urging stronger advocacy for New Mexico sites, including tribal lands, and asking whether the Attorney General should pursue legal action against federal parties responsible for legacy contamination. Staff explained that some sites are already covered by settlement funds tied to responsible parties, while neglected sites are those with no responsible party and no other cleanup program. The committee then heard from EMNRD on Class VI carbon sequestration primacy. Staff said New Mexico currently has no operating Class VI wells, about 27 Class II acid-gas injection wells are operating, and only a small number might be candidates for conversion. They explained that the state’s primacy application would require more public outreach than federal rules alone, and that cost estimates for post-injection site care are based on long planning horizons, with some costs borne by operators and some by the state after closure. No votes were taken on the substantive items discussed; the committee approved the prior meeting minutes and took a brief recess between presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• if they have mine site areas and mine if they have mine site areas and mine marries,<00:21:42.559
• . industries. industries.
• Mining Association and<03:09:51.920> the<03:09:52.080> Trona<03:09:52.479> Industry.
• mining sector and the trona industry mining sector and the trona industry specifically, specifically
• industry.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• acid mine drainage?
• acid mine drainage?
• uh for the ones that have acid mines uh for the ones that have acid mine<00:58:06.079> drainage
• Um, so, but the bonding industry—you didn't talk to anyone in that industry when you promulgated, okay
• > they they use acid mine drainage yes but they they use acid mine drainage yes but they don't

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes, and then reviewed a long agenda of administrative regulations, most of which were advanced with staff-suggested amendments and no objection. Early items included the Kentucky Public Pension Authority’s 105 KAR 1:451, which updates reporting language and adds the contractor wizard for certain employers, and a large package of Board of Veterinary Examiners regulations that revise fees, facility and AHP registration requirements, continuing education, liability, and practice rules. The Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology’s compact-related regulation and the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors’ complaint and compact rules were also reviewed and approved with amendments, along with fish and wildlife rules affecting elk hunting, youth deer season length, bear-dog approvals, and foxhound enclosure permits. The committee also approved transportation, education, workplace standards, horse racing, and several health and human services regulations, including Medicaid waiver reimbursement updates and a child care regulation that sends certain large claims to the Office of Inspector General for review. Several agencies briefly explained their regulations when members asked questions. Fish and Wildlife said the elk population is strong and the baiting change is intended to support harvest monitoring and fair chase, while the longer youth deer season was meant to give young hunters more opportunity. The Department of Community-Based Services said the $10,000 and $5,000 claim thresholds were meant to clarify rare cases involving possible fraud or unresolved recoupment issues. The Department of Financial Institutions’ 808 KAR 5:305 drew the most discussion: it would allow certain state-chartered credit unions with a low-income designation to participate in federal programs, including limited non-member deposits and supplemental capital, but the regulation was deferred again amid continued discussions. The Kentucky Bankers Association testified against the credit union regulation, arguing that allowing non-member deposits conflicts with existing statute limiting credit union deposits to members and other credit unions, and that an administrative regulation cannot override that statutory restriction. Committee members heard the agency’s explanation that the proposal is intended to help underserved communities and that the non-member deposit authority would be limited, but no final action was taken because the item was deferred. The meeting otherwise concluded with the remaining regulations being called, discussed briefly, and approved or advanced without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• I've served 8 years and it's a true asset for our industry.
• Believe me, I am in the insurance industry. I\'ve done this for 17 years.
• We\'re not being over burdensome to the insurance industry. Just follow up.
• The amendment is a request from the Construction Industries Board. Thank you very much.
• This is a cleanup bill and request bill from the Construction Industry Board.

Bills: HB4322, HB4202, HB4203, HB4457, HB3983, HB3660, HB3802, HB2933, HB2955, HB2956, HB3781, HB3521, HB3794, HB3796, HB3800

Keywords: funeral services licensing, funeral director, embalmer, funeral director in charge, dual licensure, mortuary science, Oklahoma Funeral Board, funeral establishment, commercial embalming establishment, crematory, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, apprenticeship, licensing requirements, professional regulation, undertaker, mortician, burial services, death care industry, workers' compensation

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a true asset for our industry.
• me today, but he is in the insurance and construction industries.
• Believe me, I am in the insurance industry. I've done this for 17 years.
• This is a cleanup bill and request bill from the construction industry boards.
• It was developed through collaboration between that board and the roofing industry.

Bills: HB4322, HB4202, HB4203, HB4457, HB3983, HB3660, HB3802, HB2933, HB2955, HB2956, HB3781, HB3521, HB3794, HB3796, HB3800

Keywords: funeral services licensing, funeral director, embalmer, funeral director in charge, dual licensure, mortuary science, Oklahoma Funeral Board, funeral establishment, commercial embalming establishment, crematory, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, apprenticeship, licensing requirements, professional regulation, undertaker, mortician, burial services, death care industry, workers' compensation

Summary: The Business and Insurance Committee first handled a series of executive nominations, including appointments or reappointments to the Oklahoma Securities Commission, Real Estate Commission, State Athletic Commission, Accountancy Board, Commission on Consumer Credit, Uniform Building Code Commission, Abstractors Board, Used Motor Vehicle Dismantler and Manufactured Housing Commission, and State Banking Board. Most nominees briefly addressed the committee, and the nominations were advanced by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. One HB 4488 was laid over at the start of the meeting. The committee then considered several bills. HB 4322, which would remove a dual-licensure requirement for funeral directors and embalmers, drew questions about consumer protection and body care procedures and passed 6-3. HB 4202, changing workers’ compensation fee schedule treatment for radiology, passed unanimously. HB 4203, directing the Uniform Building Code Commission to explore guidelines for single-exit configurations in certain buildings up to four stories, passed 7-2 after concerns were raised about fire safety. HB 4457, dealing with specialty pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, and access to specialty medications, passed unanimously. Members also debated HB 3983, which would move Oklahoma’s moist smokeless tobacco tax to a weight-based system; supporters argued it would improve fairness and revenue stability, while opponents said it would raise taxes on some products and lacked consumer protections. It passed 6-3. HB 3660, authorizing natural organic reduction as an additional end-of-life option, prompted a lengthy debate over dignity, religious concerns, and consumer choice; it passed 5-4. HB 3802, prohibiting auto insurers from raising premiums solely because a spouse died, passed unanimously. HB 2933, a consumer protection insurance bill, passed 9-0 after extensive discussion of claims handling and insurer accountability. Additional insurance and regulatory measures—HB 2955, HB 2956, HB 3781, HB 3521, HB 3796, HB 3794, and HB 3800—were also advanced, most with little or no opposition. The chair closed by noting all executive nominations and legislation had been cleared from the committee for the year.

Transcript Highlights:

• It should not be. think of from mining to aerospace manufacturing.
• Much of the land is zoned as mixed industrial, what have you.
• So we do have mining companies that do various types of aggregates, other types of mined materials, yes
• industries just by nature.
• In industry. And then we see this come back.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with SB 1350 by Senator McNerney presented first. The measure would expand California’s use of renewable hydrogen in the power sector by allowing renewable portfolio standard credit for power plants using green hydrogen, with supporters emphasizing grid reliability, clean-energy goals, in-state investment, and construction jobs. Support came from labor, clean-energy, municipal utility, and local government representatives; NRDC Action Fund withdrew opposition after amendments, while a few groups remained opposed or neutral. The committee later took a roll call and SB 1350 passed out on a due pass recommendation. The committee also heard SB 1180 by Senator Allen, which would set operational rules for the Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund created under SB 54, including clearer eligible uses, transparency, technical assistance, and access for tribes and smaller community groups. Environmental justice, ocean, conservation, and local government groups strongly supported the bill, saying it would ensure the fund addresses plastic pollution’s public health and environmental harms. Industry and manufacturing groups opposed unless amended, arguing the bill should stay tightly tied to plastic waste reduction and not broaden into source-reduction policy. After quorum was established, the committee approved SB 1180 on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. SB 1326 by Senator Wahab was then heard to strengthen tribal consultation and tribal cultural resource protections under CEQA by recognizing tribal registers and requiring feasible avoidance or mitigation measures when tribes identify resources. Tribal representatives and supporters said the bill would better protect sacred sites and tribal knowledge, while cities, counties, utilities, builders, and rural county groups opposed unless amended, citing implementation concerns, possible litigation, and uncertainty for infrastructure and housing projects. The committee voted the bill out on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. Finally, SB 954 by Senator Blakespear was presented as a cleanup of last year’s SB 131 advanced-manufacturing CEQA exemption, narrowing eligible projects and adding guardrails such as setbacks, air-quality limits, tribal consultation, labor standards, and habitat protections. Environmental and labor groups supported the bill as a needed correction to an overly broad exemption, while business, manufacturing, housing, and local-government groups opposed, warning it could make the exemption unusable and slow investment. Members debated the balance between environmental protection and manufacturing competitiveness, and the committee voted SB 954 out on a due pass recommendation to the Labor and Employment Committee; the transcript then moved on to SB 1031 on compostable plastics, which was introduced but not acted on in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we bring back resource industries like mining and timber?
• How do we attract capital in those industries?
• Why would we mine? We don't mine lithium in America. We want to have electric cars.
• We need to bridge... domestic mining back. We can't stop mining in America and buying it overseas.
• We should be mining in Nevada. We should be mining. We had a great lithium find in Arkansas.

Transcript Highlights:

• Copper sulfide mining is the most toxic industry in America, and it is particularly ill-suited to water-rich
• :26.000> toxic<05:43:26.558> industry<05:43:26.958> in mining is the most toxic
• industry in mining is the most toxic industry in America<05:43:27.600> and<05:43:27.840> it
• . mining. mining.
• The thing about these mines in Minnesota is they're below-grade mines. They're not pit mines.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill taxes the social media industry on its practices of selling our data.
• I know from my previous career in technology that data mining is a very profitable industry.
• , which is data, our data, and data mining.
• Where industries emerge, we understand that maybe they're important.
• , data, data mining.

Transcript Highlights:

• For our target industries, we needed to choose industries where New Mexico had a right to win, where
• sense for that industry to be here, but also where it makes sense for that industry to be funded through
• I had a question about the film industry because I've been told that some of the film industry is looking
• Bitcoin mining is how it's done. So what is mining? Miners are basically the backbone.
• That's why they're mining; that's their reward for mining this network.