Environment

Amend KRS 150.170 to exempt a bona fide private landowner from any fishing restrictions imposed in KRS Chapter 150 or the administrative regulations promulgated thereunder relating to creel, possession, size, or method of take; allow a private landowner to extend the same rights and privileges relating to fishing in lakes or ponds located on the landowner's property to any person in written or electronic form; allow the stocking of certain largemouth bass in private lakes and ponds without restriction; exempt a bona fide private landowner from any lake or pond stocking restrictions except with regard to prohibitions on the stocking of invasive fish.

Amend KRS 224.1-010 to change the definition of "water" or "waters of the Commonwealth" to include any and all rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, wells, marshes, and all other bodies of surface or underground water; delete the definition of "wellhead protection area."

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 13A to define various terms; prohibit an administrative regulation setting an environmental requirement under KRS Chapter 39E, 109, 146, 151, 211, 224, or 350 from being more stringent or extensive in scope than any federal law or regulation regarding the same or a similar topic; require any administrative regulation setting an environmental requirement to be based upon the best available science and the weight of scientific evidence; establish exemptions.

SB 286 amends Kentucky law to clarify liability for reclaiming land disturbed after surface mining. It directs the Energy and Environment Cabinet to create rules specifying when mining permittees remain responsible for reclamation damage caused by outside forces (like natural disasters, oil operations, or trespassers) and establishing procedures to transfer reclamation liability to new land users. The bill directly affects surface mining permittees and the cabinet, focusing on technical corrections to existing reclamation rules without creating new requirements. This procedural update ensures clearer accountability for land restoration after mining activities.

HB 108 amends Kentucky law to exclude certain industrial waste facilities from being classified as "municipal solid waste disposal facilities." Specifically, it exempts waste sites owned and operated exclusively by a solid waste generator that only accept industrial waste generated from the generator's own operations on the same or adjacent property (including via corporate affiliates). This change removes these facilities from the requirement to obtain permits under municipal solid waste management rules, which currently apply to most disposal sites. The bill directly affects industrial facilities that manage their own waste streams on-site, altering their regulatory classification without creating new permitting obligations.