as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 03/14/2019 02:08pm
A bill for an act
relating to clean water; establishing a grant program to clean up contaminated
tax-forfeited property; appropriating money.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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(a) For the purposes of this section, the terms in this
subdivision have the meanings given.
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(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of employment and economic development.
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(c) "Hazardous substance" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 115B.02,
subdivision 8.
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(d) "Petroleum" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 115C.02,
subdivision 10.
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(e) "Pollutant or contaminant" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section
115B.02, subdivision 13.
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(f) "Release" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 115B.02, subdivision
15.
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(g) "Tank" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 115C.02, subdivision
14.
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The commissioner must establish a pilot project to award
grants to counties to remediate tax-forfeited properties contaminated by a release or
threatened release of a hazardous substance or a pollutant or contaminant.
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(a) A grant awarded to a county under this section may
be expended for:
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(1) cleaning up or removing a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance or
a pollutant or contaminant from a tax-forfeited property;
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(2) costs for assessing, testing, and monitoring associated with cleaning up or removing
a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance or a pollutant or contaminant from
a tax-forfeited property; and
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(3) transporting a hazardous substance or a pollutant or contaminant off site, or storing,
treating, destroying, or securing disposition of the substance or the pollutant or contaminant
off site, if the commissioner determines that the actions are necessary to protect public
health or welfare.
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(b) The expenditures allowed under this subdivision apply to cleaning up or removing
a release or threatened release of petroleum only if:
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(1) the release or threatened release is from a tank; and
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(2) the cleanup or removal is ineligible to receive reimbursement under Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 115C.
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A county seeking a grant under this section must file an application
with the commissioner on a form prescribed by the commissioner. The application must
contain, at a minimum:
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(1) a description of the tax-forfeited property;
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(2) the results of any testing or monitoring indicating the presence of a hazardous
substance or a pollutant or contaminant on the tax-forfeited property or the reason for
suspecting that a hazardous substance or a pollutant or contaminant is present on the
tax-forfeited property;
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(3) a proposed remediation plan describing any assessment and removal activities
proposed;
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(4) the estimated cost of the proposed remediation plan;
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(5) the source and amount of nongrant money that will be contributed to the remediation
plan; and
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(6) any other information required by the commissioner.
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In awarding grants under this section, the commissioner
may modify a county's proposed remediation plan.
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(a) No county may be awarded more than one grant per year under
this section.
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(b) A grant awarded under this section may not exceed 85 percent of the estimated cost
of the proposed remediation plan.
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This section expires June 30, 2021.
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$5,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 and $5,000,000 in fiscal year 2021 are appropriated from
the clean water fund to the commissioner of employment and economic development for
awarding grants under section 1. If the appropriation for either year is insufficient, the
appropriation for the other year is available for it.
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