HF 544

1st Engrossment - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to community development; providing partial 
  1.3             funding for moving a steam plant away from the 
  1.4             Mississippi river; prohibiting certain steam plants in 
  1.5             the Mississippi river critical area; appropriating 
  1.6             money. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA STEAM PLANT 
  1.9   RELOCATION.] 
  1.10     (a) $6,000,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 1997 from the 
  1.11  general fund to the commissioner of trade and economic 
  1.12  development for a grant to the regents of the University of 
  1.13  Minnesota.  This appropriation is available until expended.  The 
  1.14  grant must be used to relocate a steam plant owned by the 
  1.15  University of Minnesota currently located on the Mississippi 
  1.16  riverfront next to the stone arch bridge on the Mississippi 
  1.17  river to an industrial park location in the city of Minneapolis. 
  1.18     (b) The grant may only be made if the city of Minneapolis 
  1.19  and the university jointly certify to the commissioner that the 
  1.20  grant, together with other funds from the city and the 
  1.21  university, will provide sufficient funds to have the plant 
  1.22  relocated and that federal funds are not available for the same 
  1.23  purpose.  In addition, the grant may only be made if the city of 
  1.24  Minneapolis certifies to the commissioner that the city agrees: 
  1.25     (1) to be responsible for one-half of all costs reasonably 
  1.26  incurred by the university in relocating the current steam 
  2.1   plant, in excess of the grant and in excess of the amount the 
  2.2   university has budgeted for expanding and enhancing the current 
  2.3   steam plant to allow for fuel flexibility; and 
  2.4      (2) to reimburse the university for one-half of all 
  2.5   additional fuel costs incurred by the university which are 
  2.6   caused by an interruption in the supply of natural gas to the 
  2.7   university's relocated steam plant.  If the grant is made and 
  2.8   the plant is not moved or if federal funds become available to 
  2.9   finance the relocation, then the grant must be repaid to the 
  2.10  commissioner and deposited into the general fund. 
  2.11     Sec. 2.  [MISSISSIPPI RIVER CRITICAL AREA; PROHIBITION.] 
  2.12     No person shall construct a steam plant capable of burning 
  2.13  coal or petroleum coke as its primary fuel source within the 
  2.14  area designated as the Mississippi river critical area 
  2.15  established by the legislature under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.16  116G.15, and as the Mississippi National River and Recreation 
  2.17  Area by the United States Congress under United States Code, 
  2.18  title 16, section 460zz-2(k), that is located within the 
  2.19  boundaries of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. 
  2.20     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.21     Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
  2.22  enactment.