1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the environment; authorizing expenditures 
  1.3             for the identification, prioritization, and 
  1.4             remediation of open dumps; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             1996, section 115B.42, subdivision 2, as amended. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 115B.42, 
  1.8   subdivision 2, as amended by Laws 1997, chapter 7, article 1, 
  1.9   section 35, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 2.  [EXPENDITURES.] (a) Money in the fund may be 
  1.11  spent by the commissioner to: 
  1.12     (1) inspect permitted mixed municipal solid waste disposal 
  1.13  facilities to: 
  1.14     (i) evaluate the adequacy of final cover, slopes, 
  1.15  vegetation, and erosion control; 
  1.16     (ii) determine the presence and concentration of hazardous 
  1.17  substances, pollutants or contaminants, and decomposition gases; 
  1.18  and 
  1.19     (iii) determine the boundaries of fill areas; 
  1.20     (2) monitor and take, or reimburse others for, 
  1.21  environmental response actions, including emergency response 
  1.22  actions, at qualified facilities; 
  1.23     (3) acquire and dispose of property under section 115B.412, 
  1.24  subdivision 3; 
  1.25     (4) recover costs under section 115B.39; 
  2.1      (5) administer, including providing staff and 
  2.2   administrative support for, sections 115B.39 to 115B.445; 
  2.3      (6) enforce sections 115B.39 to 115B.445; 
  2.4      (7) subject to appropriation, administer the agency's 
  2.5   groundwater and solid waste management programs; 
  2.6      (8) reimburse persons under section 115B.43; and 
  2.7      (9) reimburse mediation expenses up to a total of $250,000 
  2.8   annually or defense costs up to a total of $250,000 annually for 
  2.9   third-party claims for response costs under state or federal law 
  2.10  as provided in section 115B.414. 
  2.11     (b) Money in the fund may also be used by the commissioner 
  2.12  to identify, prioritize, and remediate open dump sites in the 
  2.13  state that present an environmental or public health hazard.