1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the environment; environmental quality 
  1.3             board; modifying the environmental review program; 
  1.4             authorizing rulemaking; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             1996, section 116D.04, subdivision 2a. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 116D.04, 
  1.8   subdivision 2a, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 2a.  Where there is potential for significant 
  1.10  environmental effects resulting from any major governmental 
  1.11  action, the action shall be preceded by a detailed environmental 
  1.12  impact statement prepared by the responsible governmental unit.  
  1.13  The environmental impact statement shall be an analytical rather 
  1.14  than an encyclopedic document which describes the proposed 
  1.15  action in detail, analyzes its significant environmental 
  1.16  impacts, discusses appropriate alternatives to the proposed 
  1.17  action and their impacts, and explores methods by which adverse 
  1.18  environmental impacts of an action could be mitigated.  The 
  1.19  environmental impact statement shall also analyze those 
  1.20  economic, employment and sociological effects that cannot be 
  1.21  avoided should the action be implemented.  To ensure its use in 
  1.22  the decision making process, the environmental impact statement 
  1.23  shall be prepared as early as practical in the formulation of an 
  1.24  action.  
  1.25     (a) The board shall by rule establish categories of actions 
  2.1   for which environmental impact statements and for which 
  2.2   environmental assessment worksheets shall be prepared as well as 
  2.3   categories of actions for which no environmental review is 
  2.4   required under this section.  
  2.5      (b) The responsible governmental unit shall promptly 
  2.6   publish notice of the completion of an environmental assessment 
  2.7   worksheet in a manner to be determined by the board and shall 
  2.8   provide copies of the environmental assessment worksheet to the 
  2.9   board and its member agencies.  Comments on the need for an 
  2.10  environmental impact statement may be submitted to the 
  2.11  responsible governmental unit during a 30 day period following 
  2.12  publication of the notice that an environmental assessment 
  2.13  worksheet has been completed.  The responsible governmental 
  2.14  unit's decision on the need for an environmental impact 
  2.15  statement shall be based on the environmental assessment 
  2.16  worksheet and the comments received during the comment period, 
  2.17  and shall be made within 15 days after the close of the comment 
  2.18  period.  The board's chair may extend the 15 day period by not 
  2.19  more than 15 additional days upon the request of the responsible 
  2.20  governmental unit.  
  2.21     (c) An environmental assessment worksheet shall also be 
  2.22  prepared for a proposed action whenever material evidence 
  2.23  accompanying a petition by not less than 25 150 individuals, 
  2.24  submitted before the proposed project has received final 
  2.25  approval by the appropriate governmental units or, if the 
  2.26  proposer has given notice as provided in paragraph (d), before 
  2.27  the expiration of the time limit specified in paragraph (d), 
  2.28  demonstrates that, because of the nature or location of a 
  2.29  proposed action, there may be potential for significant 
  2.30  environmental effects.  Petitions requesting the preparation of 
  2.31  an environmental assessment worksheet shall be submitted to the 
  2.32  board.  The chair of the board shall determine the appropriate 
  2.33  responsible governmental unit and forward the petition to it.  A 
  2.34  decision on the need for an environmental assessment worksheet 
  2.35  shall be made by the responsible governmental unit within 15 
  2.36  days after the petition is received by the responsible 
  3.1   governmental unit.  The board's chair may extend the 15 day 
  3.2   period by not more than 15 additional days upon request of the 
  3.3   responsible governmental unit.  
  3.4      (d) The board shall by rule establish a process by which 
  3.5   the proposer of an action may give public notice of the 
  3.6   impending action.  The rules shall address, at a minimum:  the 
  3.7   content of the notices, which must include information about the 
  3.8   action's description, its location, and necessary state, local, 
  3.9   and federal permits that must be secured for the action; and a 
  3.10  requirement that the notice appear in at least two issues of a 
  3.11  newspaper of general circulation in the area of the proposed 
  3.12  action dated at least one week apart and also in at least one 
  3.13  issue of the EQB Monitor.  If the proposer of an action provides 
  3.14  notice in accordance with the established process, no petition 
  3.15  under paragraph (c) may be filed on the action later than 60 
  3.16  days after the notice has been given.  The proposer shall be 
  3.17  responsible for maintaining evidence that proper notice has been 
  3.18  given. 
  3.19     (e) The board may, prior to final approval of a proposed 
  3.20  project, require preparation of an environmental assessment 
  3.21  worksheet by a responsible governmental unit selected by the 
  3.22  board for any action where environmental review under this 
  3.23  section has not been specifically provided for by rule or 
  3.24  otherwise initiated.  
  3.25     (e) (f) An early and open process shall be utilized to 
  3.26  limit the scope of the environmental impact statement to a 
  3.27  discussion of those impacts, which, because of the nature or 
  3.28  location of the project, have the potential for significant 
  3.29  environmental effects.  The same process shall be utilized to 
  3.30  determine the form, content and level of detail of the statement 
  3.31  as well as the alternatives which are appropriate for 
  3.32  consideration in the statement.  In addition, the permits which 
  3.33  will be required for the proposed action shall be identified 
  3.34  during the scoping process.  Further, the process shall identify 
  3.35  those permits for which information will be developed 
  3.36  concurrently with the environmental impact statement.  The board 
  4.1   shall provide in its rules for the expeditious completion of the 
  4.2   scoping process.  The determinations reached in the process 
  4.3   shall be incorporated into the order requiring the preparation 
  4.4   of an environmental impact statement.  
  4.5      (f) (g) Whenever practical, information needed by a 
  4.6   governmental unit for making final decisions on permits or other 
  4.7   actions required for a proposed project shall be developed in 
  4.8   conjunction with the preparation of an environmental impact 
  4.9   statement.  
  4.10     (g) (h) An environmental impact statement shall be prepared 
  4.11  and its adequacy determined within 280 days after notice of its 
  4.12  preparation unless the time is extended by consent of the 
  4.13  parties or by the governor for good cause.  The responsible 
  4.14  governmental unit shall determine the adequacy of an 
  4.15  environmental impact statement, unless within 60 days after 
  4.16  notice is published that an environmental impact statement will 
  4.17  be prepared, the board chooses to determine the adequacy of an 
  4.18  environmental impact statement.  If an environmental impact 
  4.19  statement is found to be inadequate, the responsible 
  4.20  governmental unit shall have 60 days to prepare an adequate 
  4.21  environmental impact statement.