SF 3521

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 an annual 
  1.3             environmental report to the public; amending Minnesota 
  1.4             Statutes 1998, section 116.011. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 116.011, is 
  1.7   amended to read: 
  1.8      116.011 [ANNUAL POLLUTION REPORT; REPORT TO THE PUBLIC.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [GOAL; ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT.] A goal 
  1.10  of the pollution control agency is to reduce the amount of 
  1.11  pollution that is emitted in the state.  The pollution control 
  1.12  agency shall include in its annual performance report 
  1.13  information detailing the best estimate of the agency of the 
  1.14  total volume of water and air pollution that was emitted in the 
  1.15  state in the previous calendar year.  The agency shall report 
  1.16  its findings for both water and air pollution: 
  1.17     (1) in gross amounts, including the percentage increase or 
  1.18  decrease over the previous calendar year; and 
  1.19     (2) in a manner which will demonstrate the magnitude of the 
  1.20  various sources of water and air pollution. 
  1.21     Subd. 2.  [ANNUAL REPORT TO THE PUBLIC.] (a) By March 1 of 
  1.22  each year, the pollution control agency must prepare a report to 
  1.23  Minnesota citizens on the status of the state's environmental 
  1.24  quality and on the degree of compliance in the state with 
  1.25  environmental protection laws and rules.  The agency must also 
  2.1   compare the current findings to the findings in the previous 
  2.2   report, if any. 
  2.3      (b) The annual report to the citizens must include, at a 
  2.4   minimum, information on: 
  2.5      (1) the amount of pollutants emitted into the state's water 
  2.6   and air; 
  2.7      (2) the extent of impaired water bodies, air exceeding 
  2.8   applicable criteria or benchmarks, and polluted land in the 
  2.9   state; 
  2.10     (3) the amount of waste generated in the state, how the 
  2.11  waste is being managed, and the ability of the current waste 
  2.12  management facilities to handle the volume of waste produced; 
  2.13  and 
  2.14     (4) the number, kind, and extent of known environmental 
  2.15  permit violations in the state and the agency's inspection and 
  2.16  enforcement efforts. 
  2.17  In presenting this information, the agency shall use a broad 
  2.18  range of indicators that provide the public with a clear 
  2.19  understanding of the environmental gains and losses in the 
  2.20  state.  The agency may prepare the report using only information 
  2.21  already obtained by the agency. 
  2.22     (c) The agency must inform the public of its findings by, 
  2.23  at a minimum, making each annual report available to the public 
  2.24  on the agency's World Wide Web page.  The agency may charge 
  2.25  members of the public requesting a paper copy of the annual 
  2.26  report for the actual cost of duplication and mailing.