as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 02/25/2021 03:31pm
Engrossments | ||
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Introduction | Posted on 02/25/2021 |
A bill for an act
relating to natural resources; providing for land and water protection on off-road
vehicle touring routes; requiring a report; proposing coding for new law in
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 84.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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For purposes of this section:
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(1) "commissioner" means the commissioner of natural resources; and
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(2) "touring route" means a recreational route designated and marked by the commissioner
for use mainly by highway-licensed vehicles when the route consists of state or national
forest roads or township, county, or state roads that feature dirt, gravel, or other rugged
surfaces.
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(a) A touring route must not include:
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(1) an unpaved road that crosses waters designated as exceptional use waters, outstanding
resource value waters, or trout streams;
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(2) a United States Forest Service operational maintenance level 2 road that crosses
waters or an equivalent state, county, or township road that crosses waters; or
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(3) an unpaved road that crosses waters designated as impaired.
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(b) If waters that are crossed by an unpaved road of a touring route are designated as
impaired after the touring route is designated, the commissioner must remove the unpaved
road from the touring route within 60 days after the waters are designated as impaired. Signs
for the touring route must be removed along the portions of the route removed under this
paragraph, and any website showing the route must be updated to reflect the removal.
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A touring route must not be designated on land identified by
the commissioner of agriculture or a county as containing prohibited noxious weeds, restricted
noxious weeds, or county noxious weeds under sections 18.76 to 18.91.
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A touring route must maintain a buffer of at least 300 feet from an
unpaved road's edge to a water basin or wetland.
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Before a road is included in a touring route, the commissioner
must obtain approval from the Tribal government when the road crosses Tribal lands or
ceded territory, from the counties and townships in which the road is located, and from the
road authority that has jurisdiction over the road.
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