1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to environment; appropriating money for grants to counties to address 
1.3 	blight conditions and remediate environmental contamination on properties that 
1.4 	have come under county ownership or are being held in trust by the state; proposing 
1.5 	coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 115B.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [115B.55] ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION; TAX-FORFEITED 
1.8 	AND TAX-FORECLOSED PROPERTIES.
1.9 		Subdivision 1.State-foreclosed properties cleanup grant program. The commissioner 
1.10 	of the Pollution Control Agency must establish a program to award grants to counties to 
1.11 	address blight conditions and remediate environmental contamination on tax-forfeited or 
1.12 	tax-foreclosed properties.
1.13 		Subd. 2.Eligible expenditure. A grant awarded to a county under this section may be 
1.14 	used for:
1.15 	(1) remediating contamination at tax-forfeited or tax-foreclosed properties;
1.16 	(2) related testing and monitoring; or
1.17 	(3) correcting blighted conditions at tax-forfeited or tax-foreclosed properties.
1.18 		Subd. 3.Application. A county seeking a grant under this section must file an application 
1.19 	with the commissioner on a form prescribed by the commissioner. The application must 
1.20 	contain, at a minimum:
1.21 	(1) a description of the property, including documentation of its public ownership;
2.1 	(2) the results of any testing or monitoring indicating the presence of a hazardous 
2.2 	substance or a pollutant or contaminant on the tax-forfeited or tax-foreclosed property or 
2.3 	the reason for suspecting that a hazardous substance or a pollutant or contaminant is present 
2.4 	on the tax-forfeited or tax-foreclosed property;
2.5 	(3) proof of blight or substandard structures that create conditions of concern for public 
2.6 	safety, health, and the environment;
2.7 	(4) a proposed remediation plan describing any assessment and removal activities 
2.8 	proposed;
2.9 	(5) the estimated cost of the proposed remediation plan;
2.10 	(6) the source and amount of any nongrant money that has been expended on maintenance, 
2.11 	assessment, or emergency issues on the property or that will be contributed to the remediation 
2.12 	plan; and
2.13 	(7) any other information required by the commissioner.
2.14 		Subd. 4.Awarding grants. In awarding grants under this section, the commissioner:
2.15 	(1) may modify a county's proposed remediation plan;
2.16 	(2) must consider a county's ability to pay for implementing the remediation plan if it 
2.17 	does not receive the grant;
2.18 	(3) must consider funds already expended on the property for assessment, for 
2.19 	maintenance, or to address emergency health or safety concerns; and
2.20 	(4) must ensure that counties in all regions of the state benefit from the program.

2.21 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION.
 2.22 	$....... in fiscal year 2026 and $....... in fiscal year 2027 are appropriated from the general 
2.23 	fund to the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency to award grants under section 
2.24 	115B.55.