HF 3421

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; limiting certain animal 
  1.3             feedlots and feedlot practices; providing for 
  1.4             preparation of a generic environmental impact 
  1.5             statement on the long-term effects of the livestock 
  1.6             industry; creating a livestock industry environmental 
  1.7             steering committee; appropriating money; amending 
  1.8             Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 116.07, by adding 
  1.9             subdivisions. 
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 116.07, is 
  1.12  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.13     Subd. 7b.  [PERMIT LIMITATION.] Neither the pollution 
  1.14  control agency nor any county may grant a permit to increase the 
  1.15  capacity of or establish a feedlot beyond 1,875 swine over 55 
  1.16  pounds, 15,000 swine under 55 pounds, 41,633 turkeys, 1,500 
  1.17  calves under 500 pounds, 533 dairy cows, 750 feeder cattle, or 
  1.18  any other type of livestock or poultry above 750 animal units 
  1.19  unless the permit is based upon an environmental impact 
  1.20  statement prepared under section 116D.04. 
  1.21     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 116.07, is 
  1.22  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.23     Subd. 7c.  [STORAGE FACILITIES.] No open air below ground 
  1.24  earthen or clay-lined manure storage facility may be constructed 
  1.25  in the state after July 1, 1998.  Any existing structure must be 
  1.26  replaced prior to June 30, 2001. 
  1.27     Sec. 3.  [LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENTAL STEERING 
  2.1   COMMITTEE.] 
  2.2      Subdivision 1.  [COMMITTEE.] The livestock industry 
  2.3   environmental steering committee consists of the following 
  2.4   members: 
  2.5      (1) one member appointed by the president of the Minnesota 
  2.6   Farmers Union; 
  2.7      (2) one member appointed by the president of the Minnesota 
  2.8   Farm Bureau; 
  2.9      (3) one member appointed by the president of the land 
  2.10  stewardship project; 
  2.11     (4) one member appointed by the president of Clean Water 
  2.12  Action; 
  2.13     (5) two members of the house of representatives appointed 
  2.14  by the speaker; and 
  2.15     (6) two members of the senate appointed by the majority 
  2.16  leader. 
  2.17     Compensation of nonlegislator members and reimbursement of 
  2.18  their expenses is governed by Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.19  15.059.  The committee expires upon completion of the generic 
  2.20  environmental impact statement required in subdivision 2 and 
  2.21  presentation of the final report to the legislature. 
  2.22     Staff support and technical assistance must be provided to 
  2.23  the committee by any state agency upon the request of the 
  2.24  committee.  The committee may contract with consultants and 
  2.25  other entities to assist in the preparation of the generic 
  2.26  environmental impact statement. 
  2.27     Subd. 2.  [GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.] A 
  2.28  generic environmental impact statement must be prepared under 
  2.29  the direction of the livestock industry environmental steering 
  2.30  committee to examine the long-term effects of the livestock 
  2.31  industry as it exists and as it is changing on the economy, 
  2.32  environment, and way of life of Minnesota and its citizens.  At 
  2.33  a minimum, the study must address: 
  2.34     (1) the overall dimensions of animal agriculture in 
  2.35  Minnesota, including species of livestock; an inventory of 
  2.36  numbers, types, and locations of facilities; and the related 
  3.1   support networks and economic activity involved in the life 
  3.2   cycles of livestock; 
  3.3      (2) environmental issues associated with livestock 
  3.4   production from growing feed to raising the animals to their 
  3.5   shipment to their processing and sale to consumer; effects on 
  3.6   air, groundwater, surface water, land, and other aspects of the 
  3.7   environment both within and without the state examined and 
  3.8   correlated to various management practices, facilities, and 
  3.9   other variables affecting the environment; 
  3.10     (3) economic issues such as the various financial and 
  3.11  ownership arrangements currently or potentially used in the 
  3.12  industries, patterns of vertical integration, size, long-term 
  3.13  sustainability of various forms of ownership and production 
  3.14  methods, access to markets, current and anticipated financial 
  3.15  trends, effects of governmental policies, and comparative 
  3.16  economic impact of alternative means of production; and 
  3.17     (4) the roles of various units of government in regulation 
  3.18  of various aspects of feedlot operation including federal, 
  3.19  state, interstate bodies, counties, townships, soil conservation 
  3.20  districts, watershed districts, and others with planning, 
  3.21  zoning, or environmental responsibilities. 
  3.22     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.23     $1,200,000 for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 and $1,500,000 
  3.24  for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 is appropriated from the general 
  3.25  fund to the department of administration for distribution to the 
  3.26  livestock industry environmental steering committee for the 
  3.27  purposes of section 3.  This appropriation does not cancel but 
  3.28  remains available until a generic environmental impact statement 
  3.29  is completed.  
  3.30     Sec. 5.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.31     Sections 1, 3, and 4 are effective the day following final 
  3.32  enactment.  Section 1 expires on June 30 of the first year 
  3.33  following submission of a completed generic environmental impact 
  3.34  statement to the legislature.