Legislative Session number- 85

Bill Name: SF3337

3E Relating to energy

ARTICLE 1 - UTILITIES

Modifying provisions relating to
the petrofund program; allowing the petroleum tank release compensation board to
recover expenses incurred by the pollution control agency (PCA) in taking
corrective actions; requiring the board to reimburse qualified persons for
replacing PVC fill piping with metal piping at residential locations under
certain conditions, limit; clarifying heating oil vendors residential spill
nonresponsibility under certain conditions; requiring certain entities to
provide a property owner with a copy of the appraisal before presenting a
petition to acquire property; modifying provisions relating to power
transmission lines, renewable energy obligations and related activities and
costs, modifying certain duties of the public utilities commission (PUC)
relating to transmission cost adjustments for allowing the utility to recover
charges incurred by the utility, expanding certain power purchase contract
provisions to provide storage facilities for certain renewable energy generation
facilities, modifying cost recovery requirements for owned renewable facilities,
exempting wind energy conversion systems and solar electric generation
facilities from certificate of need requirements under certain conditions;
authorizing utilities to include the installation of qualifying solar projects
in conservation plan programs, permitting solar energy project cost
effectiveness determination by standards different from other energy
conservation improvements under certain conditions, including certain qualifying
solar energy projects in distributed energy resources generation projects,
defining certain terms relating to solar energy, establishing a solar rating and
certification laboratory, requiring report to the legislature by a certain date;
modifying the definition of farm grown closed loop biomass to include herbaceous
crops, trees, agricultural waste and aquatic plant matter used to generate
electricity; changing the name of legislative electric energy task force to the
legislative energy commission, modifying and clarifying commission membership,
powers and duties, authorizing the commission to establish subcommittees,
requiring state agencies data upon request, specifying assessment and
appropriation requirements by the commissioner of commerce for the operation of
the commission; requiring an applicant to provide a project notice to local
governments within a proposed route for a high voltage transmission line within
a certain time period and authorizing local governments to request an applicant
to hold a preapplication consultation meeting; providing size election
requirements an owner must meet for certain wind energy conversion systems to be
considered a small wind energy conversion system, specifying certain department
of natural resources (DNR) negotiation requirements; establishing the wind
energy conversion system (WECS) aggregation program to create a clearinghouse to
coordinate and arrange umbrella sales arrangements for groups, farmstead
property owners and farmer cooperative associations, community based energy
project developers, school districts and political subdivisions to aggregate
small volume purchases, specifying responsibilities, requiring the commissioner
of commerce to report to the legislature by a certain date, requiring assessment
for annual costs of the program and appropriating money to the commissioner for
a grant to an entity; providing for a coordinated process to create a
nonexclusive, regular and mandated process for state development of policies to
attain certain greenhouse gas reduction goals, requiring the commissioners of
commerce and pollution control agency (PCA) to report to the legislature the
most recent and best available evidence identifying reductions, specifying
certain reduction plan principles; requiring gas manufacturers to report to the
pollution control agency (PCA) on the total amount of high GWP (global warning
potential) greenhouse gas sold in the state, defining certain terms, requiring
disclosure of leakage rates of air conditioners in motor vehicles and specifying
certain posting requirements, providing for enforcement, requiring a report to
the legislature by a certain date; regulating and modifying certain property
rights relating to wind energy easements; requiring the commissioner of commerce
to convene a size election stakeholder group, specifying certain duties and
membership requirements, requiring report to the legislature by a certain date;
requiring the commissioner to contract with the university of Minnesota for a
study on the impact of legislation enacted in certain states requiring
franchises for video services to be issued by a state agency and requiring
report to the legislature; requiring the commissioner to contract with a
nonprofit organization to develop geographical information system (GIS) maps
displaying levels of broadband service and capability statewide, specifying
mapping and data use requirements, defining technology or technologies;
requiring the commissioner to convene a work group to mediate differences
concerning the termination of property interests relating to wind energy systems
development, requiring report to the legislature by a certain date;
appropriating money to the commissioner for the broadband mapping project and
the state video franchising study; authorizing the director of the legislative
coordinating commission to expend money for use by the legislative energy
commission; specifying certain instructions to the revisor of statutes;
repealing petroleum tank release cleanup (petrofund) reimbursement to retail
locations and transport vehicles

ARTICLE 2 - OUTDOOR LIGHTING

Providing
standards for state funded outdoor lighting fixtures; setting conditions on
installation and replacement of outdoor lighting fixtures and specifying
exemptions from the requirements
(Ch. 296, 2008)