1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; regulating certain uses of 
  1.3             fertilizers containing phosphorus; imposing a penalty; 
  1.4             limiting amounts of certain plant nutrients; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 2000, sections 18C.005, by adding a 
  1.6             subdivision; 18C.211, subdivision 2; proposing coding 
  1.7             for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 18C. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 18C.005, is 
  1.10  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 18a.  [LOCAL UNIT OF GOVERNMENT.] "Local unit of 
  1.12  government" has the meaning given in section 18B.01, subdivision 
  1.13  14a. 
  1.14     Sec. 2.  [18C.110] [PREEMPTION OF OTHER LAW.] 
  1.15     Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, 
  1.16  this chapter preempts a local ordinance that prohibits or 
  1.17  regulates the registration, labeling, distribution, sale, 
  1.18  handling, use, application, or disposal of turf fertilizer 
  1.19  containing phosphorus.  This section does not preempt local 
  1.20  authority or responsibility for zoning, fire codes, or hazardous 
  1.21  waste disposal.  This section does not prohibit a local 
  1.22  ordinance that restricts the sale of turf phosphorus fertilizer 
  1.23  that was in effect on August 1, 2002. 
  1.24     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 18C.211, 
  1.25  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.26     Subd. 2.  [GUARANTEES OF THE NUTRIENTS.] (a) A person may 
  2.1   guarantee plant nutrients other than nitrogen, phosphorus, and 
  2.2   potassium only if allowed or required by commissioner's rule. 
  2.3      (b) The guarantees for the plant nutrients must be 
  2.4   expressed in the elemental form. 
  2.5      (c) The sources of other elements, oxides, salt, and 
  2.6   chelates, may be required to be stated on the application for 
  2.7   registration and may be included as a parenthetical statement on 
  2.8   the label.  Other beneficial substances or compounds, 
  2.9   determinable by laboratory methods, also may be guaranteed by 
  2.10  permission of the commissioner and with the advice of the 
  2.11  director of the agricultural experiment station.  
  2.12     (d) If plant nutrients or other substances or compounds are 
  2.13  guaranteed, the plant nutrients are subject to inspection and 
  2.14  analyses in accord with the methods and rules prescribed by the 
  2.15  commissioner. 
  2.16     (e) The commissioner may, by rule, require the potential 
  2.17  basicity or acidity expressed in terms of calcium carbonate 
  2.18  equivalent in multiples of 100 pounds per ton. 
  2.19     (f) The plant nutrients in a specialty fertilizer must not 
  2.20  be below or exceed the guaranteed analysis by more than the 
  2.21  investigational allowances established by rule. 
  2.22     Sec. 4.  [18C.60] [PHOSPHORUS TURF FERTILIZER USE 
  2.23  RESTRICTIONS.] 
  2.24     Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] (a) The definitions in this 
  2.25  subdivision apply to this section. 
  2.26     (b) "Metropolitan county" means any one of the following 
  2.27  counties:  Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or 
  2.28  Washington. 
  2.29     (c) "Turf" means noncrop land planted in closely mowed, 
  2.30  managed grasses including, but not limited to, residential and 
  2.31  commercial residential property, private golf courses, and 
  2.32  property owned by federal, state, or local units of government, 
  2.33  including parks, recreation areas, and public golf courses.  
  2.34  Turf does not mean pasture, hayland, hay, turf grown on turf 
  2.35  farms, or any other form of agricultural production. 
  2.36     Subd. 2.  [PHOSPHORUS USE RESTRICTIONS.] (a) A person may 
  3.1   not apply a fertilizer containing the plant nutrient phosphorus 
  3.2   to turf in a metropolitan county, except under conditions listed 
  3.3   in paragraph (d). 
  3.4      (b) A person may not apply granular fertilizer containing 
  3.5   greater than three percent phosphate (P<t>2</t>0<t>5</t>) by weight, or liquid 
  3.6   fertilizer at a rate greater than 0.3 pounds phosphate (P<t>2</t>0<t>5</t>) 
  3.7   per 1,000 square feet, to turf in counties other than a 
  3.8   metropolitan county, except under conditions listed in paragraph 
  3.9   (d). 
  3.10     (c) A local unit of government in a county other than a 
  3.11  metropolitan county may adopt paragraph (a) in place of 
  3.12  paragraph (b).  The local unit of government must notify the 
  3.13  commissioner of the adoption of paragraph (a) within 30 days of 
  3.14  its adoption.  The commissioner shall maintain a list of local 
  3.15  units of government in counties other than metropolitan counties 
  3.16  that have adopted paragraph (a). 
  3.17     (d) Paragraphs (a) and (b) do not apply when: 
  3.18     (1) a tissue, soil, or other test by a laboratory or method 
  3.19  approved by the commissioner and performed within the last three 
  3.20  years indicates that the levels of available phosphorous in the 
  3.21  soil are insufficient to support healthy turf growth; 
  3.22     (2) the property owner or an agent of the property owner is 
  3.23  first establishing turf via seed or sod procedures, and only 
  3.24  during the first growing season; or 
  3.25     (3) the fertilizer containing the plant food phosphorus is 
  3.26  used on a golf course under the direction of a person licensed, 
  3.27  certified, or approved by an organization with an ongoing 
  3.28  training program approved by the commissioner. 
  3.29     (e) Applications of phosphorus fertilizer authorized under 
  3.30  paragraph (d), clause (1) or (2), must not exceed rates 
  3.31  currently recommended by the University of Minnesota and 
  3.32  approved by the commissioner. 
  3.33     Subd. 3.  [CONSUMER INFORMATION.] The commissioner, in 
  3.34  consultation with the University of Minnesota extension service, 
  3.35  fertilizer industry representatives, lakes groups, and other 
  3.36  interested or affected parties, must produce consumer 
  4.1   information in a format and of a content suitable for posting 
  4.2   and distribution at retail points of sale of fertilizer that 
  4.3   contains phosphorus and is for use on turf. 
  4.4      Subd. 4.  [RESEARCH EVALUATION; REPORT.] The commissioner, 
  4.5   in cooperation with the University of Minnesota and the 
  4.6   University of Minnesota extension service, and, after 
  4.7   consultation with representatives of the fertilizer industry, 
  4.8   lakes groups, and other interested or affected parties, shall 
  4.9   evaluate research needs and encourage targeted research 
  4.10  opportunities to investigate the effects of phosphorus 
  4.11  fertilization of turf on urban stormwater quality.  The 
  4.12  commissioner must evaluate the effectiveness of the restrictions 
  4.13  on phosphorus fertilizers under this section and report to the 
  4.14  legislature by January 1, 2007. 
  4.15     Subd. 5.  [ENFORCEMENT.] This section is enforced by the 
  4.16  commissioner under chapter 18D or by local units of government 
  4.17  under their existing authority.  Violation of this section is a 
  4.18  petty misdemeanor. 
  4.19     Sec. 5.  [18C.61] [FERTILIZER APPLICATION TO AN IMPERVIOUS 
  4.20  SURFACE; PROHIBITION.] 
  4.21     (a) A person may not apply a fertilizer to an impervious 
  4.22  surface.  Fertilizer released on an impervious surface must be 
  4.23  immediately contained and either legally applied to turf or any 
  4.24  other legal site, or returned to the original or other 
  4.25  appropriate container. 
  4.26     (b) For the purposes of this section, "impervious surface" 
  4.27  means a highway, street, sidewalk, parking lot, driveway, or 
  4.28  other material that prevents infiltration of water into the soil.
  4.29     Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.30     Section 4 is effective January l, 2004.