1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to land use management; authorizing the 
  1.3             northern counties land use coordinating board to 
  1.4             initiate a pilot project to promote cooperative 
  1.5             efforts among county, state, federal, and local units 
  1.6             of government, and with Canadian officials regarding 
  1.7             land use management issues; appropriating money. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [NORTHERN COUNTIES LAND USE COORDINATING BOARD; 
  1.10  PILOT PROJECT.] 
  1.11     (a) The northern counties land use coordinating board may 
  1.12  initiate a pilot project to promote cooperative efforts among 
  1.13  county, state, federal, and local units of government regarding 
  1.14  land use management issues.  The office of strategic and long 
  1.15  range planning must coordinate the activities of state agencies, 
  1.16  which shall include the departments of agriculture, commerce, 
  1.17  natural resources, trade and economic development, board of soil 
  1.18  and water resources, iron range resources and rehabilitation 
  1.19  board, environmental quality board, pollution control agency, 
  1.20  and the office of environmental assistance. 
  1.21     (b) The board must also solicit cooperation with Canadian 
  1.22  officials who represent areas contiguous to the region and with 
  1.23  organizations representing recreational, agricultural, mining, 
  1.24  forestry, and tourism interests within the affected boundaries 
  1.25  of the northern counties land use coordinating board. 
  1.26     (c) The legislature also encourages participation by 
  2.1   appropriate federal agencies. 
  2.2      (d) The objectives of the pilot project are to document 
  2.3   instances of incompatible or conflicting land use regulations or 
  2.4   policies and to identify and promote a means of resolving the 
  2.5   differences that may provide a national model for management 
  2.6   through intergovernmental cooperation. 
  2.7      (e) The board must report to the legislature by January 15, 
  2.8   2004, on the status of the project, which must be completed by 
  2.9   June 30, 2004. 
  2.10     (f) Any costs to the office of strategic and long-range 
  2.11  planning related to its duties under this act must be reimbursed 
  2.12  by the northern counties land use coordinating board or its 
  2.13  participating counties as provided in an agreement between the 
  2.14  office and the board.  The agreement is not subject to the 
  2.15  limits on contracts and hiring in Laws 2002, chapter 220, 
  2.16  article 10, sections 36 to 38.  Reimbursements must be deposited 
  2.17  in the state treasury and credited to the special revenue fund 
  2.18  and are appropriated to the office to carry out the agreement.