SF 2332

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the environment; requiring reduction of 
  1.3             toxic air contaminants and reporting on greenhouse 
  1.4             gases; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes, chapters 115D; and 116. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [115D.16] [AIR TOXICS REDUCTION PLAN; REPORTS.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [AIR TOXICS REDUCTION PLAN.] By January 1, 
  1.9   2001, the commissioner of the pollution control agency shall 
  1.10  develop and begin implementation of a plan to ensure that the 
  1.11  ambient air concentration of each toxic air contaminant in the 
  1.12  state does not exceed the health risk benchmark in one or more 
  1.13  areas of the state.  The commissioner shall include in the plan, 
  1.14  at a minimum, all toxic air contaminants that the Environmental 
  1.15  Protection Agency's Cumulative Exposure Project estimates or the 
  1.16  agency's monitoring shows exceed the health risk benchmark.  The 
  1.17  plan must include a specific framework to reduce the ambient air 
  1.18  concentration of each toxic air contaminant that exceeds the 
  1.19  health risk benchmark as of November 1999 to an ambient air 
  1.20  concentration at or below the health risk benchmark by January 
  1.21  1, 2006. 
  1.22     Subd. 2.  [REPORT ON REDUCTION OF TOXIC AIR 
  1.23  CONTAMINANTS.] Beginning January 1, 2002, and every two years 
  1.24  thereafter, the commissioner shall report to the chairs of the 
  1.25  house and senate committees with jurisdiction over the 
  2.1   environment on: 
  2.2      (1) the agency's progress in reducing levels of toxic air 
  2.3   contaminants that exceed health risk benchmarks as of November 
  2.4   1999; 
  2.5      (2) the levels of toxic air contaminants throughout the 
  2.6   state including, for each toxic air contaminant that exceeds the 
  2.7   health risk benchmark, the degree to which the contaminant 
  2.8   exceeds the health risk benchmark in percentage terms; 
  2.9      (3) how the levels of toxic air contaminants throughout the 
  2.10  state have changed over time; and 
  2.11     (4) the cancer and any noncancer health risks associated 
  2.12  with toxic air contaminants found in the state. 
  2.13  The commissioner shall also inform the public of information 
  2.14  required to be reported by this section, updating the 
  2.15  information every two years.  The commissioner must, at a 
  2.16  minimum, make the information available to the public on the 
  2.17  agency's World Wide Web site. 
  2.18     Subd. 3.  [REPORT ON MEDICAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TOXIC 
  2.19  AIR CONTAMINANTS.] The pollution control agency and the 
  2.20  department of health, in consultation with members of the 
  2.21  medical community, the American Lung Association, providers of 
  2.22  medical insurance, and the University of Minnesota medical 
  2.23  school, shall estimate, using the best available information, 
  2.24  the increased medical costs likely to result from the presence 
  2.25  of toxic air contaminants in excess of health risk benchmarks, 
  2.26  including but not limited to the additional costs of detection, 
  2.27  prevention, and treatment of lung diseases and other health 
  2.28  problems related to toxic air contaminants.  The pollution 
  2.29  control agency and the department of health must submit a report 
  2.30  of their findings by January 1, 2002, to the legislative 
  2.31  committees with jurisdiction over the environment and health. 
  2.32     Sec. 2.  [116.062] [GREENHOUSE GAS REPORT.] 
  2.33     By January 1, 2001, and annually thereafter, the 
  2.34  commissioner of the pollution control agency shall inform the 
  2.35  public about the estimated effects of climate change on the 
  2.36  ecology of the various regions of the state.  The commissioner 
  3.1   shall base the information made available to the public on the 
  3.2   best available information that the agency has and on the best 
  3.3   available information from the University of Minnesota.  The 
  3.4   commissioner shall, at a minimum, make the information available 
  3.5   to the public on the agency's World Wide Web site.