SF 4365

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 03/17/2020 12:24pm

A bill for an act
relating to clean water; appropriating money from clean water fund.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin CLEAN WATER FUND; APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Availability. new text end

new text begin Money appropriated in this section may not be spent on
activities unless they are directly related to and necessary for a specific appropriation. Money
appropriated in this section must be spent in accordance with Minnesota Management and
Budget's Guidance to Agencies on Legacy Fund Expenditure. Notwithstanding Minnesota
Statutes, section 16A.28, and unless otherwise specified in this section, appropriations are
available until June 30, 2022. If a project receives federal funds, the period of the
appropriation is extended to equal the availability of federal funding. The appropriations in
this section are onetime and are in addition to any appropriations for these purposes in Laws
2019, First Special Session chapter 2, article 2.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Department of Agriculture. new text end

new text begin $250,000 in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from
the clean water fund to the commissioner of agriculture for grants to fund the Forever Green
agriculture initiative and to protect the state's natural resources while increasing the
efficiency, profitability, and productivity of Minnesota farmers by incorporating perennial
and winter-annual crops into existing agricultural practices. This appropriation is available
until June 30, 2024.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Pollution Control Agency. new text end

new text begin $492,000 in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from
the clean water fund to the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency to adopt rules
establishing water quality standards for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and
perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). The commissioner must adopt the rules establishing
PFOA and PFOS water quality standards by June 30, 2023. This appropriation is available
until June 30, 2023.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Board of Water and Soil Resources. new text end

new text begin $488,000 in fiscal year 2021 is
appropriated from the clean water fund to the Board of Water and Soil Resources for
permanent conservation easements and perennial vegetation and cover crops on wellhead
protection areas under Minnesota Statutes, section 103F.515, subdivision 2, paragraph (d).
Priority must be placed on land that is located where the vulnerability of the drinking water
supply is designated as high or very high by the commissioner of health, on land where
drinking water protection plans have identified specific activities that will achieve long-term
protection, and on lands with expiring Conservation Reserve Program contracts. Up to
$48,000 is for deposit in a monitoring and enforcement account. This appropriation is
available until June 30, 2023.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Department of Health. new text end

new text begin (a) $250,000 in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from
the clean water fund to the commissioner of health to amend the health risk limit for
perfluorooctane sulfonate so that the health risk limit does not exceed 0.015 parts per billion.
The commissioner must amend the health risk limit by July 1, 2022, and comply with
Minnesota Statutes, section 144.0751, requiring a reasonable margin of safety to adequately
protect the health of infants, children, and adults. If the amount appropriated under this
paragraph is insufficient to complete the work, the commissioner must use money
appropriated under paragraph (b) to complete the requirements under this paragraph.
new text end

new text begin (b) $1,750,000 in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the clean water fund to the
commissioner of health for addressing public health concerns related to contaminants found
in Minnesota drinking water for which no health-based drinking water standards exist; for
developing and adopting health risk limits consistent with Minnesota Statutes, section
144.0751; for improving the department's capacity to monitor the water quality of drinking
water sources, including establishing and implementing water quality monitoring protocols
for surface waters used as a drinking water source; and to develop interventions to improve
water quality. By January 15, 2021, the commissioner of health must submit a preliminary
report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate
committees and divisions with jurisdiction over health policy and environment and natural
resources finance and policy that identifies the health risk limits to be developed, the water
quality monitoring protocols to be implemented, the surface waters to be tested, and the list
of contaminants to be tested for. A final report detailing the outcomes of this appropriation
and recommendations must be submitted by the commissioner to the chairs and ranking
minority members by January 15, 2022.
new text end

new text begin (c) $750,000 in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the clean water fund to the
commissioner of health for studying the occurrence and magnitude of contaminants in
compliant and noncompliant private wells, including microplastics and nanoplastics, and
developing guidance, outreach, and interventions to reduce risks to private-well owners.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Metropolitan Council. new text end

new text begin $500,000 in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the
clean water fund to the Metropolitan Council for local inflow and infiltration reduction
programs addressing high-priority areas in the metropolitan area, as defined in Minnesota
Statutes, section 473.121, subdivision 2.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin University of Minnesota. new text end

new text begin (a) $2,700,000 in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated
from the clean water fund to the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota to study
water's role in transporting chronic wasting disease prions, including:
new text end

new text begin (1) identifying mechanisms for the accumulation, persistence, and spread of chronic
wasting disease prions through waterways;
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new text begin (2) characterizing chronic wasting disease prion abundance in waterways immediately
downstream of regions known to be positive for chronic wasting disease;
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new text begin (3) modeling and forecasting chronic wasting disease contamination and spread based
on landscape ecology and hydrology; and
new text end

new text begin (4) developing and evaluating remediation strategies for prion-contaminated waterways.
new text end

new text begin (b) The Board of Regents must submit a report with the results of the study to the chairs
and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate committees and
divisions with jurisdiction over environment and natural resources and the clean water fund
no later than January 15, 2025. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2025.
new text end