HF 844

as introduced - 82nd Legislature (2001 - 2002) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; providing that the department 
  1.3             of agriculture must provide certain inspection 
  1.4             services on dairy farms; requiring cooperation between 
  1.5             the pollution control agency and the department of 
  1.6             agriculture.  
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [LEGISLATIVE DIRECTIVE.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [TRANSFER OF CERTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES.] By 
  1.10  July 1, 2005, the commissioners of agriculture and the pollution 
  1.11  control agency shall have finalized arrangements by which the 
  1.12  department of agriculture will assume primary responsibility for 
  1.13  monitoring and enforcing Minnesota air and water quality 
  1.14  standards, feedlot rules, and other environmental laws 
  1.15  applicable to all dairy farms that are facilities with less than 
  1.16  1,000 animal units.  The arrangements must assure effective, 
  1.17  ongoing communication between the department and the agency and 
  1.18  must be in compliance with federal laws and regulations of the 
  1.19  United States Environmental Protection Agency. 
  1.20     Subd. 2.  [TRANSITION PERIOD; COMMUNICATION; 
  1.21  TRAINING.] Between July 1, 2001, and the date of full 
  1.22  implementation of final arrangements for transferring 
  1.23  responsibility for dairy inspections, the commissioners of 
  1.24  agriculture and the pollution control agency, in consultation 
  1.25  with appropriate representatives of dairy producers, dairy 
  1.26  processors, county feedlot staff in delegated counties, agency 
  2.1   staff administering the feedlot program in nondelegated 
  2.2   counties, environmental organizations, and the United States 
  2.3   Environmental Protection Agency shall coordinate a program of 
  2.4   communication, training, and performance standards to facilitate 
  2.5   the transition of authority and responsibility. 
  2.6      Subd. 3.  [SHARED, COORDINATED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CERTAIN 
  2.7   DAIRIES.] Staff of the department and the agency must develop 
  2.8   mutually agreeable joint inspection schedules as appropriate for 
  2.9   dairy facilities having more than 1,000 animal units.