Legislative Audit Division Podcast: Opencut Mining

In the latest episode of the Legislative Audit Division Podcast, we take a look at Opencut Mining: Permitting Efficiency, Property Value and Production Impacts, and Tax Equity. The Opencut Section oversees the extraction of materials such as sand, gravel, bentonite and clay. In recent years, it has faced increased media and public scrutiny, particularly after the passage of House Bill 599 in 2021. The statutory changes were intended to boost production and speed up the permitting process. But they also raised public concerns about potential economic effects on nearby residential properties and created immediate procedural challenges for Opencut staff. Staff struggled to review and issue permits within the new statutory deadlines. Across all permit types, the section met completeness review deadlines 75 percent of the time and acceptability review deadlines 69 percent of the time. Living near an opencut mining site also appears to reduce property values. Homes within a half-mile of an active opencut mine sell for an average of 8.4 percent less, or about $37,000 less for a typical $450,000 Montana home.