HF 663

2nd Engrossment - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to mines and minerals; expanding membership 
  1.3             on the mineral coordinating committee; establishing 
  1.4             the aggregate resources task force; appropriating 
  1.5             money; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 
  1.6             93.002, subdivision 1. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 93.002, 
  1.9   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The mineral coordinating 
  1.11  committee is established to plan for diversified mineral 
  1.12  development.  The mineral coordinating committee consists of the 
  1.13  director of the minerals division of the department of natural 
  1.14  resources, the deputy commissioner of the Minnesota pollution 
  1.15  control agency, the director of United Steelworkers of America, 
  1.16  district 11, or the director's designee, the director of the 
  1.17  Minnesota geological survey, the dean of the University of 
  1.18  Minnesota institute of technology, and the director of the 
  1.19  natural resources research institute, and three individuals 
  1.20  appointed by the governor for a four-year term, one each 
  1.21  representing the iron ore and taconite, the nonferrous metallic 
  1.22  minerals, and the industrial minerals industries within the 
  1.23  state.  The director of the minerals division of the department 
  1.24  of natural resources shall serve as chair.  A member of the 
  1.25  committee may designate another person of the member's 
  1.26  organization to act in the member's place.  The commissioner of 
  2.1   natural resources shall provide staff and administrative 
  2.2   services necessary for the committee's activities. 
  2.3      The mineral coordinating committee is encouraged to solicit 
  2.4   and receive advice from representatives of the United States 
  2.5   Bureau of Mines, the United States Geological Survey, and the 
  2.6   United States Environmental Protection Agency. 
  2.7      Sec. 2.  [AGGREGATE RESOURCES TASK FORCE.] 
  2.8      Subdivision 1.  [CREATION; MEMBERSHIP.] (a) An aggregate 
  2.9   resources task force is created with ten members appointed as 
  2.10  follows: 
  2.11     (1) the chair of the senate environment and natural 
  2.12  resources finance committee shall appoint one citizen member 
  2.13  with experience in the state's aggregates industry and four 
  2.14  members of the senate, two of whom must be members of the 
  2.15  minority caucus; and 
  2.16     (2) the chair of the house environment and natural 
  2.17  resources finance committee shall appoint one citizen member who 
  2.18  is an employee of a local governmental unit that works with 
  2.19  environmental and land use impacts from aggregate mining and 
  2.20  four members of the house, two of whom must be members of the 
  2.21  minority caucus.  
  2.22     (b) The chairs must make their respective appointments not 
  2.23  later than July 1, 1997.  
  2.24     (c) The first meeting of the task force must be convened by 
  2.25  a person designated by the chair of the senate environment and 
  2.26  natural resources finance committee.  Task force members must 
  2.27  then elect a permanent chair from among the task force members.  
  2.28     Subd. 2.  [DUTIES.] The task force must examine current and 
  2.29  projected issues concerning the need for and use of the state's 
  2.30  aggregate resources.  The task force shall seek input from the 
  2.31  aggregate industry, state agencies, counties, local units of 
  2.32  government, environmental organizations, and other interested 
  2.33  parties on aggregate resource issues, including resource 
  2.34  inventory, resource depletion, mining practices, nuisance 
  2.35  problems, safety, competing land uses and land use planning, 
  2.36  environmental review, local permit requirements, reclamation, 
  3.1   recycling, transportation of aggregates, and the aggregate 
  3.2   material tax.  
  3.3      Subd. 3.  [REPORT.] Not later than February 1, 1999, the 
  3.4   task force shall report to the legislature on the findings of 
  3.5   its study.  The report must include a recommendation as to 
  3.6   whether there is a need for a comprehensive statewide policy on 
  3.7   any aggregate resource issue.  If the task force recommends a 
  3.8   statewide policy, the report must include recommendations on the 
  3.9   framework for the statewide policy.  
  3.10     Subd. 4.  [EXPIRATION.] The aggregate resources task force 
  3.11  expires 45 days after its report and recommendations are 
  3.12  delivered to the legislature, or on June 30, 2001, whichever 
  3.13  date is earlier. 
  3.14     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.15     (a) $625,000 in fiscal year 1998 and $625,000 in fiscal 
  3.16  year 1999 are appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.17  commissioner of natural resources for mineral diversification.  
  3.18  Any unencumbered balance remaining in the first year does not 
  3.19  cancel but is available for the second year.  
  3.20     (b) $180,000 in fiscal year 1998 and $100,000 in fiscal 
  3.21  year 1999 are appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.22  commissioner of natural resources for minerals cooperative 
  3.23  environmental research.  $90,000 in fiscal year 1998 and $50,000 
  3.24  in fiscal year 1999 is available only as matched by $1 of 
  3.25  nonstate money for each $1 of state money.  The appropriations 
  3.26  are available until September 30, 1999.