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that purpose, the amendments "vest[ed] the Board with the authority to authorize the use of toxic <br /> or acidic chemicals, including cyanide, for mineral extraction in mining operations, under <br /> heavily regulated conditions" and created a more heavily regulated category of mines <br /> ("designated mining operations"), which included "operations utilizing toxic or acidic chemicals, <br /> such as cyanide, for extractive metallurgical processing." Id. These amendments and the <br /> definitions of acid and toxic materials were specifically designed to address mining operations <br /> that use harmful chemicals to extract the target mineral from the surrounding rock or which <br /> produce, or have significant potential to produce, acid mine drainage, a primary mobilizer of <br /> metallics from host rocks. <br /> The statute and the regulations underwent a second round of substantial amendments to <br /> address the increase in uranium mines that similarly used toxic chemicals to extract the uranium. <br /> H.B. 08-1161, 66th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Colo. 2008); 2 CCR 407-1, Permanent Rule <br /> Docket No. 2010-00032 (Aug. 12, 2010). The sponsor of the bill, Senator Steven Johnson, <br /> explained that the "bill deals with in situ uranium mining technology," which is "not a <br /> technology that [the government] ha[s] a lot of experience with in the state of Colorado and that's <br /> why [the legislature] update[d] the regulations." Audio Colorado State Senate Proceeding at <br /> 2:30-2:33 & 3:05-3:1 1 (Apr. 20, 2008). The amendments in both the statute and the regulations <br /> specifically increased regulatory oversight over uranium in situ leach mining. See H.B. 08-1161 <br /> §§ 1, 3, 5, 66th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Colo. 2008) (adding uranium mines to DMO <br /> categories and adding additional permit requirements for in situ leach mines); Statement of <br /> Basis, Specific Statutory Authority, and Purpose, 2 CCR 407-1, Permanent Rule Docket No. <br /> 2010-00032 (Aug. 12, 2010), at pp. 4-5 (explaining that the changes to the regulations were <br /> intended to "mirror" H.B. 08-1 161's goal of"provid[ing] new requirements for uranium mining <br /> 9 <br />