SF 1240

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

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to the environment; establishing the office 
  1.3             of brownfields coordination. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [OFFICE OF BROWNFIELDS COORDINATION.] 
  1.6      (a) The commissioners of trade and economic development, 
  1.7   commerce, agriculture, revenue, the pollution control agency, 
  1.8   and the director of the metropolitan council shall, by August 1, 
  1.9   1997, jointly establish and staff an office for the coordination 
  1.10  of programs providing state and regional assistance in the 
  1.11  cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties.  
  1.12     (b) The purpose of the office is to work with persons 
  1.13  applying for assistance with a project to clean up or redevelop 
  1.14  contaminated property by providing information about the various 
  1.15  forms of assistance available to establish the qualifications of 
  1.16  a cleanup or redevelopment project for state and regional 
  1.17  assistance, and to develop a package of assistance appropriate 
  1.18  to each cleanup or redevelopment project.  The office may charge 
  1.19  a reasonable fee for its services.  
  1.20     (c) In staffing the office established under paragraph (a), 
  1.21  the commissioners and the director shall use existing resources 
  1.22  and staff complement and shall provide the office with personnel 
  1.23  knowledgeable about each agency's contaminated property cleanup 
  1.24  and redevelopment assistance programs including the hazardous 
  2.1   waste cleanup loan program under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.2   115B.223; the tax base revitalization program under Minnesota 
  2.3   Statutes, section 473.252; the contamination cleanup development 
  2.4   program under Minnesota Statutes, sections 116J.551 to 116J.558; 
  2.5   the petroleum tank release cleanup account program under 
  2.6   Minnesota Statutes, chapter 115C; the dry cleaner environmental 
  2.7   response and reimbursement account program under Minnesota 
  2.8   Statutes, sections 115B.47 to 115B.51; the agricultural chemical 
  2.9   response and reimbursement account program under Minnesota 
  2.10  Statutes, sections 18E.01 to 18E.06; the voluntary investigation 
  2.11  and cleanup program under Minnesota Statutes, section 115B.175; 
  2.12  the voluntary petroleum investigation and cleanup program under 
  2.13  Minnesota Statutes, section 115C.03, subdivision 9; the 
  2.14  pollution control agency's file evaluation program; the 
  2.15  department of agriculture's voluntary cleanup and technical 
  2.16  assistance program; the contamination taxes program under 
  2.17  Minnesota Statutes, sections 270.91 to 270.98; the tax increment 
  2.18  financing program under Minnesota Statutes, sections 469.174 to 
  2.19  469.179; and any other similar or related programs. 
  2.20     (d) The commissioner of the pollution control agency, in 
  2.21  consultation with the commissioners of trade and economic 
  2.22  development, commerce, agriculture, and revenue, and the 
  2.23  director of the metropolitan council, shall issue a report to 
  2.24  the legislature by January 15, 1998, which includes: 
  2.25     (1) an update of the agencies' progress in establishing and 
  2.26  administering the office described in paragraph (a), as well as 
  2.27  any legislative recommendations to provide for a more effective 
  2.28  and efficient office; and 
  2.29     (2) a plan for additional changes to existing contaminated 
  2.30  property programs, including the consolidation of programs, to 
  2.31  streamline applications for assistance, ensure efficient and 
  2.32  effective administration of these programs, and provide for an 
  2.33  overall, coordinated state policy for the cleanup and 
  2.34  redevelopment of contaminated properties.