1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the environment; modifying the 
  1.3             requirements for a program for environmental learning 
  1.4             centers; amending Laws 1994, chapter 643, section 23, 
  1.5             subdivision 28, as amended; repealing Laws 1996, 
  1.6             chapter 463, section 7, subdivision 26. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Laws 1994, chapter 643, section 23, subdivision 
  1.9   28, as amended by Laws 1995, First Special Session chapter 2, 
  1.10  article 1, section 48, is amended to read: 
  1.11  Subd. 28.  Environmental     
  1.12  Learning Centers                                     11,500,000 
  1.13  This appropriation is to the 
  1.14  commissioner of natural resources to 
  1.15  plan, design, and construct facilities 
  1.16  owned by political subdivisions at 
  1.17  residential environmental learning 
  1.18  centers as provided in this subdivision 
  1.19  and new Minnesota Statutes, section 
  1.20  84.0875. 
  1.21  The appropriations in items (a) through 
  1.22  (e) and (b) are available as follows:  
  1.23  (1) of the $7,500,000 total, $5,000,000 
  1.24  is available only when the commissioner 
  1.25  has determined that matching money in 
  1.26  the sum of $12,500,000, up to 25 
  1.27  percent of which may consist of loans, 
  1.28  has been committed by nonstate 
  1.29  sources for predesign, design, and 
  1.30  construction of the facilities named in 
  1.31  items (a) and (b), and the following 
  1.32  privately owned residential 
  1.33  environmental learning centers:  Wolf 
  1.34  Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 
  1.35  Northwoods Audubon Center, and 
  1.36  Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  1.37  Center; and (2) the remaining 
  1.38  $2,500,000 is available to the extent 
  1.39  that matching money, which may include 
  2.1   loans, in the amount of $2 $1 for each 
  2.2   $1 of state money is committed by 
  2.3   nonstate sources, as determined by the 
  2.4   commissioner, provided that money may 
  2.5   not be spent under this sentence until 
  2.6   the amount available, including 
  2.7   matching any money from nonstate 
  2.8   sources that is allocated to a facility 
  2.9   in item (a) or (b), is sufficient to 
  2.10  complete a functional improvement at 
  2.11  the facility.  Up to 25 percent of the 
  2.12  total amount of money committed by 
  2.13  nonstate sources under this subdivision 
  2.14  may consist of loans. 
  2.15  After the first $12,500,000 has been 
  2.16  committed by nonstate sources for the 
  2.17  Long Lake Conservation Center, the Deep 
  2.18  Portage Conservation Reserve, the Wolf 
  2.19  Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 
  2.20  the Northwoods Audubon Center, and the 
  2.21  Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  2.22  Center, the appropriations in items (a) 
  2.23  and (b) must be distributed and 
  2.24  administered separately for each 
  2.25  facility.  Money from nonstate sources 
  2.26  required for the balances of the 
  2.27  appropriations in items (a) and (b) 
  2.28  must be committed as required in this 
  2.29  section for each facility separately to 
  2.30  allow functional improvements, but work 
  2.31  at the facilities need not proceed 
  2.32  simultaneously.  Funds raised or 
  2.33  borrowed after January 1, 1992, and 
  2.34  spent or committed to be spent for 
  2.35  predesign, design, or construction of 
  2.36  these facilities are eligible to count 
  2.37  toward the required commitment from 
  2.38  nonstate sources, and, upon proper 
  2.39  application, nonstate money spent after 
  2.40  that date for qualified capital 
  2.41  expenditures at the Long Lake 
  2.42  Conservation Center and the Deep 
  2.43  Portage Conservation Reserve shall be 
  2.44  reimbursed by the commissioner from 
  2.45  money appropriated for these 
  2.46  facilities, to allow the nonstate money 
  2.47  to be used for qualified capital 
  2.48  expenditures at the Wolf Ridge 
  2.49  Environmental Learning Center, the 
  2.50  Northwoods Audubon Center, and the 
  2.51  Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  2.52  Center. 
  2.53  The predesign and design requirements 
  2.54  of Minnesota Statutes, section 16B.335, 
  2.55  do not apply to the specific 
  2.56  appropriations for these facilities in 
  2.57  this section. 
  2.58  (a) Long Lake Conservation Center           1,200,000 3,370,000
  2.59  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  2.60  Aitkin county. 
  2.61  (b) Deep Portage Conservation Reserve       1,470,000 4,130,000
  2.62  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  2.63  Cass county. 
  2.64  (c) Wolf Ridge Environmental  
  3.1   Learning Center                                       2,100,000
  3.2   This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.3   independent school district No. 381, 
  3.4   Lake Superior. 
  3.5   (d) Northwoods Audubon Center                         1,080,000
  3.6   This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.7   independent school district No. 2580, 
  3.8   East Central. 
  3.9   (e) (c) Southeastern Minnesota  
  3.10  Forest Resource Center                                1,650,000
  3.11  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.12  independent school district No. 229, 
  3.13  Lanesboro. 
  3.14  If land and improvements in Fillmore 
  3.15  county that were conveyed by the state 
  3.16  to Southern Southeastern Minnesota 
  3.17  Forest Resource Center, Inc., under 
  3.18  Laws 1990, chapter 452, section 7, are 
  3.19  pledged as security for a loan 
  3.20  to assist with the completion of this 
  3.21  project provide financing for the 
  3.22  predesign, design, or construction of 
  3.23  environmental education facilities at 
  3.24  Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  3.25  Center, the right of reverter retained 
  3.26  by the state is waived in favor of the 
  3.27  lender. 
  3.28  For the purposes of this subdivision, 
  3.29  "nonstate source" means a source of 
  3.30  money other than a direct state 
  3.31  appropriation for an environmental 
  3.32  learning center. 
  3.33  (f) (d) Agassiz Environmental   
  3.34  Learning Center                                         300,000
  3.35  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.36  the city of Fertile. 
  3.37  (g) (e) Laurentian Environmental
  3.38  Learning Center                                         450,000
  3.39  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.40  independent school district No. 621, 
  3.41  Mounds View. 
  3.42  (h) (f) Prairie Woods           
  3.43  Environmental Learning Center                           250,000
  3.44  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.45  Kandiyohi county. 
  3.46  (i) (g) Prairie Wetlands        
  3.47  Environmental Learning Center                         3,000,000
  3.48  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.49  the city of Fergus Falls. 
  3.50  Appropriations in this subdivision must 
  3.51  be used for qualified capital 
  3.52  expenditures. 
  3.53     Sec. 2.  [REPEALER.] 
  4.1      Laws 1996, chapter 463, section 7, subdivision 26, is 
  4.2   repealed. 
  4.3      Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.4      This act is effective the day following final enactment.