1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; providing for management of native prairies in 
1.3 	railroad rights-of-way; requiring rulemaking; appropriating money;amending 
1.4 	Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 219.99.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 219.99, is amended to read:
1.7 	219.99 RAILROAD PRAIRIE RIGHT-OF-WAY; BEST MANAGEMENT 
1.8 	PRACTICES.
1.9 		Subdivision 1.Prairie preservation plan. The commissioner of natural resources 
1.10 	shall conduct a field review of railroad rights-of-way to identify native prairie. The priority 
1.11 	will be to identify and conduct a field review of any surveys which have been conducted 
1.12 	previously, whether by public or private persons, of native prairies within railroad 
1.13 	rights-of-way in this state. In cooperation with railroad companies, the commissioner shall 
1.14 	identify management practices used to control vegetation along railroad rights-of-way. The 
1.15 	commissioner shall then assess the impact of those management practices on the prairie 
1.16 	lands within the railroad rights-of-way. Based on that assessment, the commissioner and 
1.17 	railroad companies shall jointly develop voluntarya plan of best management practices 
1.18 	for preserving prairie lands within railroadthe rights-of-way of each railroad company.
1.19 		Subd. 2.Management practices schedule. No later than March 15 each year, each 
1.20 	railroad company shall register with the commissioner of natural resources a schedule 
1.21 	detailing how the railroad company will comply with its plan of best management 
1.22 	practices to preserve its prairie lands in the forthcoming 12 months.
1.23 		Subd. 3.Rules. The commissioner of natural resources shall adopt rules, including 
1.24 	regular inspection of prairies on railroad rights-of-way, to implement this section. The 
2.1 	commissioner shall present to the 2008 session of the legislature a plan to recover costs 
2.2 	of the rulemaking.

2.3 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.4 	$....... in fiscal year 2008 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
2.5 	of natural resources for the plans and compliance issues in section 1.