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; changing the source of funds for certain 
  1.5             projects; appropriating money; amending Laws 1994, 
  1.6             chapter 643, section 23, subdivision 28, as amended; 
  1.7             Laws 1996, chapter 407, section 8, subdivision 3; and 
  1.8             Laws 1996, chapter 463, sections 7, subdivision 9; and 
  1.9             22, subdivision 8; repealing Laws 1996, chapter 463, 
  1.10            section 7, subdivision 26. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  Laws 1994, chapter 643, section 23, subdivision 
  1.13  28, as amended by Laws 1995, First Special Session chapter 2, 
  1.14  article 1, section 48, is amended to read: 
  1.15  Subd. 28.  Environmental     
  1.16  Learning Centers                                     11,500,000 
  1.17  This appropriation is to the 
  1.18  commissioner of natural resources to 
  1.19  plan, design, and construct facilities 
  1.20  owned by political subdivisions at 
  1.21  residential environmental learning 
  1.22  centers as provided in this subdivision 
  1.23  and new Minnesota Statutes, section 
  1.24  84.0875. 
  1.25  The appropriations in items (a) through 
  1.26  (e) and (b) are available as follows:  
  1.27  (1) of the $7,500,000 total, $5,000,000 
  1.28  is available only when the commissioner 
  1.29  has determined that matching money in 
  1.30  the sum of $12,500,000, up to 25 
  1.31  percent of which may consist of loans, 
  1.32  has been committed by nonstate 
  1.33  sources for predesign, design, and 
  1.34  construction of the facilities named in 
  1.35  items (a) and (b), and the following 
  1.36  privately owned residential 
  1.37  environmental learning centers:  Wolf 
  1.38  Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 
  1.39  Northwoods Audubon Center, and 
  2.1   Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  2.2   Center; and (2) the remaining 
  2.3   $2,500,000 is available to the extent 
  2.4   that matching money, which may include 
  2.5   loans, in the amount of $2 $1 for each 
  2.6   $1 of state money is committed by 
  2.7   nonstate sources, as determined by the 
  2.8   commissioner, provided that money may 
  2.9   not be spent under this sentence until 
  2.10  the amount available, including 
  2.11  matching any money from nonstate 
  2.12  sources that is allocated to a facility 
  2.13  in item (a) or (b), is sufficient to 
  2.14  complete a functional improvement at 
  2.15  the facility.  Up to 25 percent of the 
  2.16  total amount of money committed by 
  2.17  nonstate sources under this subdivision 
  2.18  may consist of loans. 
  2.19  After the first $12,500,000 has been 
  2.20  committed by nonstate sources for the 
  2.21  Long Lake Conservation Center, the Deep 
  2.22  Portage Conservation Reserve, the Wolf 
  2.23  Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 
  2.24  the Northwoods Audubon Center, and the 
  2.25  Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  2.26  Center, the appropriations in items (a) 
  2.27  and (b) must be distributed and 
  2.28  administered separately for each 
  2.29  facility.  Money from nonstate sources 
  2.30  required for the balances of the 
  2.31  appropriations in items (a) and (b) 
  2.32  must be committed as required in this 
  2.33  section for each facility separately to 
  2.34  allow functional improvements, but work 
  2.35  at the facilities need not proceed 
  2.36  simultaneously.  Funds raised or 
  2.37  borrowed after January 1, 1992, and 
  2.38  spent or committed to be spent for 
  2.39  predesign, design, or construction of 
  2.40  these facilities are eligible to count 
  2.41  toward the required commitment from 
  2.42  nonstate sources, and, upon proper 
  2.43  application, nonstate money spent after 
  2.44  that date for qualified capital 
  2.45  expenditures at the Long Lake 
  2.46  Conservation Center and the Deep 
  2.47  Portage Conservation Reserve shall be 
  2.48  reimbursed by the commissioner from 
  2.49  money appropriated for these 
  2.50  facilities, to allow the nonstate money 
  2.51  to be used for qualified capital 
  2.52  expenditures at the Wolf Ridge 
  2.53  Environmental Learning Center, the 
  2.54  Northwoods Audubon Center, and the 
  2.55  Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  2.56  Center. 
  2.57  The predesign and design requirements 
  2.58  of Minnesota Statutes, section 16B.335, 
  2.59  do not apply to the specific 
  2.60  appropriations for these facilities in 
  2.61  this section. 
  2.62  (a) Long Lake Conservation Center           1,200,000 3,370,000
  2.63  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  2.64  Aitkin county. 
  2.65  (b) Deep Portage Conservation Reserve       1,470,000 4,130,000
  3.1   This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.2   Cass county. 
  3.3   (c) Wolf Ridge Environmental  
  3.4   Learning Center                                       2,100,000
  3.5   This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.6   independent school district No. 381, 
  3.7   Lake Superior. 
  3.8   (d) Northwoods Audubon Center                         1,080,000
  3.9   This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.10  independent school district No. 2580, 
  3.11  East Central. 
  3.12  (e) (c) Southeastern Minnesota  
  3.13  Forest Resource Center                                1,650,000
  3.14  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.15  independent school district No. 229, 
  3.16  Lanesboro. 
  3.17  If land and improvements in Fillmore 
  3.18  county that were conveyed by the state 
  3.19  to Southern Southeastern Minnesota 
  3.20  Forest Resource Center, Inc., under 
  3.21  Laws 1990, chapter 452, section 7, are 
  3.22  pledged as security for a loan 
  3.23  to assist with the completion of this 
  3.24  project provide financing for the 
  3.25  predesign, design, or construction of 
  3.26  environmental education facilities at 
  3.27  Southeastern Minnesota Forest Resource 
  3.28  Center, the right of reverter retained 
  3.29  by the state is waived in favor of the 
  3.30  lender. 
  3.31  For the purposes of this subdivision, 
  3.32  "nonstate source" means a source of 
  3.33  money other than a direct state 
  3.34  appropriation for an environmental 
  3.35  learning center. 
  3.36  (f) (d) Agassiz Environmental   
  3.37  Learning Center                                         300,000
  3.38  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.39  the city of Fertile. 
  3.40  (g) (e) Laurentian Environmental
  3.41  Learning Center                                         450,000
  3.42  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.43  independent school district No. 621, 
  3.44  Mounds View. 
  3.45  (h) (f) Prairie Woods           
  3.46  Environmental Learning Center                           250,000
  3.47  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.48  Kandiyohi county. 
  3.49  (i) (g) Prairie Wetlands        
  3.50  Environmental Learning Center                         3,000,000
  3.51  This appropriation is for a grant to 
  3.52  the city of Fergus Falls. 
  3.53  Appropriations in this subdivision must 
  3.54  be used for qualified capital 
  4.1   expenditures. 
  4.2      Sec. 2.  Laws 1996, chapter 407, section 8, subdivision 3, 
  4.3   is amended to read: 
  4.4   Subd. 3.  Parks and Trails
  4.5   (a) Metropolitan Regional Park System         1,000,000 850,000 
  4.6   This appropriation is from the future 
  4.7   resources fund for payment by the 
  4.8   commissioner of natural resources to 
  4.9   the metropolitan council for subgrants 
  4.10  to rehabilitate, develop, acquire, and 
  4.11  retrofit the metropolitan regional park 
  4.12  system consistent with the metropolitan 
  4.13  council regional recreation open space 
  4.14  capital improvement program. 
  4.15  This appropriation may be used for the 
  4.16  purchase of homes only if the purchases 
  4.17  are expressly included in the work 
  4.18  program approved by the legislative 
  4.19  commission on Minnesota resources. 
  4.20  (b) State Park and Recreation 
  4.21  Area Acquisition                                      1,000,000
  4.22  This appropriation is from the trust 
  4.23  fund to the commissioner of natural 
  4.24  resources for acquisition of land 
  4.25  within the statutory boundaries of 
  4.26  state parks and recreation areas. 
  4.27  (c) Local Grants                                        895,000
  4.28  This appropriation is from the future 
  4.29  resources fund to the commissioner of 
  4.30  natural resources to provide matching 
  4.31  grants to local units of government for 
  4.32  local park and recreation areas; trail 
  4.33  linkages between communities, trails, 
  4.34  and parks; and at least $100,000 for 
  4.35  the conservation partners program as 
  4.36  provided in Laws 1995, chapter 220, 
  4.37  section 19, subdivision 4, paragraph 
  4.38  (e).  In addition to the required work 
  4.39  program, grants may not be approved 
  4.40  until grant proposals to be funded have 
  4.41  been submitted to the legislative 
  4.42  commission on Minnesota resources, and 
  4.43  the commission has either made a 
  4.44  recommendation or allowed 60 days to 
  4.45  pass without making a recommendation.  
  4.46  The above appropriations are available 
  4.47  half for the seven-county metropolitan 
  4.48  area and half for outside the 
  4.49  metropolitan area.  For the purposes of 
  4.50  this paragraph, match includes nonstate 
  4.51  contributions in either cash or in-kind.
  4.52  (d) Chippewa County Regional Trail                      410,000
  4.53  This appropriation is to the 
  4.54  commissioner of natural resources from 
  4.55  the future resources fund for a grant 
  4.56  to the city of Montevideo for 
  4.57  acquisition and development of the 
  4.58  Chippewa county regional trail. 
  5.1      Sec. 3.  Laws 1996, chapter 463, section 7, subdivision 9, 
  5.2   is amended to read: 
  5.3   Subd. 9.  Metro Regional Park 
  5.4   Rehabilitation, Acquisition, and
  5.5   Development                                 9,400,000 9,550,000
  5.6   This appropriation is for payment by 
  5.7   the commissioner of natural resources 
  5.8   to the metropolitan council.  The 
  5.9   commissioner shall pay the amount on a 
  5.10  reimbursement basis to the metropolitan 
  5.11  council upon receipt of a certified 
  5.12  copy of a council resolution requesting 
  5.13  payment.  The appropriation must be 
  5.14  used to pay the cost of rehabilitation, 
  5.15  acquisition, and development by the 
  5.16  council and local government units of 
  5.17  regional recreational open-space lands 
  5.18  in accordance with the council's policy 
  5.19  plan as provided in Minnesota Statutes, 
  5.20  section 473.315.  The metropolitan 
  5.21  council, in cooperation with the city 
  5.22  of St. Paul, must develop a plan and 
  5.23  fund the restoration of oak savannah 
  5.24  remnants in two regional parks in 
  5.25  Ramsey county.  This appropriation must 
  5.26  not be used for research, planning, 
  5.27  administration, or tax equivalency 
  5.28  payments.  This appropriation may be 
  5.29  used for the purchase of homes only if 
  5.30  the purchases are included in the work 
  5.31  program required by law and they are 
  5.32  expressly approved by the legislative 
  5.33  commission on Minnesota resources. 
  5.34     Sec. 4.  Laws 1996, chapter 463, section 22, subdivision 8, 
  5.35  is amended to read: 
  5.36  Subd. 8.  Pickwick Mill                                  150,000 
  5.37  For a grant to Winona county for 
  5.38  renovation of the historic Pickwick 
  5.39  Mill. 
  5.40  This appropriation is from the 
  5.41  Minnesota future resources fund and is 
  5.42  available until June 30, 1999. 
  5.43     Sec. 5.  [REPEALER.] 
  5.44     Laws 1996, chapter 463, section 7, subdivision 26, is 
  5.45  repealed. 
  5.46     Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  5.47     This act is effective the day following final enactment.