1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the environment; clarifying permitting for 
  1.3             mineral tailing deposition into mine pits; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 116.0717. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 116.0717, is 
  1.7   amended to read: 
  1.8      116.0717 [TACONITE MINERALS DEPOSITION.] 
  1.9      Notwithstanding rules prohibiting discharge of waste into 
  1.10  saturated zones or rules governing variance procedures, the 
  1.11  Pollution Control Agency may issue a permit for deposition of 
  1.12  fine tailings from taconite minerals processing facilities into 
  1.13  taconite mine pits provided the proposer demonstrates through an 
  1.14  environmental impact statement and risk assessment that the 
  1.15  deposition will not pose an unreasonable risk of pollution or 
  1.16  degradation of groundwater.