1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to shoreland areas; creating a pilot program 
  1.3             in two counties; appropriating money. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [SHORELAND PROTECTION PILOT PROGRAM.] 
  1.6      The board of water and soil resources must establish a 
  1.7   pilot program in two counties to provide education and financial 
  1.8   incentives encouraging private landowners to preserve and 
  1.9   restore lake and river shoreland.  One county selected must be 
  1.10  in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and one county must be in 
  1.11  the nonmetropolitan area.  For purposes of this act, "shoreland" 
  1.12  has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 103F.205, 
  1.13  subdivision 4. 
  1.14     Sec. 2.  [GRANT PROGRAM.] 
  1.15     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A grant program must be 
  1.16  created by the board, which must provide public information, 
  1.17  accept applications from private shoreland owners, and award the 
  1.18  grants. 
  1.19     Subd. 2.  [CRITERIA.] A working group of interested 
  1.20  individuals in each pilot county must be established by each 
  1.21  affected local soil and water conservation district.  The 
  1.22  working groups, along with the county board and the local soil 
  1.23  and water conservation district, must develop criteria for 
  1.24  awarding grants to shoreland owners within each pilot county.  
  2.1   The criteria must be widely publicized within each county. 
  2.2      Subd. 3.  [AWARDING OF GRANTS.] The soil and water 
  2.3   conservation district in each pilot county may award a cost 
  2.4   share grant for restoration of shoreland, or to establish a 
  2.5   conservation easement for preservation of existing shoreland.  
  2.6   The cost share grant may be up to 75 percent of the cost of 
  2.7   restoring shoreland.  Any restoration must be done using native 
  2.8   vegetation and under the criteria required in subdivision 2.  A 
  2.9   conservation easement, as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.10  84.64, must be permanent and is subject to Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.11  section 103F.515, subdivisions 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8, for board 
  2.12  authority, nature of property rights acquired, agreements by 
  2.13  landowners, conservation easement payments, and enforcement.  
  2.14  Minnesota Statutes, section 273.117, applies to conservation 
  2.15  easements granted in this subdivision. 
  2.16     Subd. 4.  [COORDINATION AND COOPERATION.] The board and 
  2.17  affected soil and water conservation districts must coordinate 
  2.18  with other federal, state, and local agencies that have 
  2.19  shoreland programs, and apply successful shoreland preservation 
  2.20  and restoration program elements.  State and local agencies with 
  2.21  shoreland programs must cooperate with the board and the soil 
  2.22  and water conservation districts. 
  2.23     Sec. 3.  [EVALUATION AND REPORT.] 
  2.24     An evaluation component for each pilot county to judge 
  2.25  program success must be conducted by the affected soil and water 
  2.26  conservation districts.  The board, by January 15, 2002, must 
  2.27  report on the pilot programs to the house and senate committees 
  2.28  with jurisdiction over natural resources. 
  2.29     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.30     $5,500,000 is appropriated from the general fund for the 
  2.31  biennium ending June 30, 2001, to the board of soil and water 
  2.32  resources for the purposes of this act.  $500,000 of the 
  2.33  appropriation may be used for education and administrative 
  2.34  expenses.