2006 Minnesota Statutes

446A.07 WATER POLLUTION CONTROL REVOLVING FUND.
    Subdivision 1. Establishment of fund. The authority shall establish a water pollution control
revolving fund to provide loans for the purposes and eligible costs authorized under title VI of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act. The fund must be credited with repayments.
    Subd. 2. State funds. A state matching fund is established to be used in compliance with
federal matching requirements specified in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. A state grant
and loan fund is established to provide grants and loans to governmental units for the planning
and construction of treatment works as specified in section 116.16, subdivision 2, paragraphs
(6) and (7).
    Subd. 3. Capitalization grant agreement. The authority shall enter an agreement with the
administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to receive capitalization
grants for the revolving fund. The authority may exercise powers necessary to comply with the
requirements specified in the agreement, which must be in compliance with the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act.
    Subd. 4. Intended use plan. (a) The Public Facilities Authority shall annually prepare and
submit to the United States Environmental Protection Agency an intended use plan. The plan
must identify the intended uses of the amounts available to the water pollution control revolving
fund, including a list of wastewater treatment and storm water projects and all other eligible
activities to be funded during the fiscal year.
(b) To be eligible for placement on the intended use plan:
(1) a project must be listed on the Pollution Control Agency's project priority list;
(2) the applicant must submit a written request to the Public Facilities Authority, including
a brief description of the project, a project cost estimate and the requested loan amount, and a
proposed project schedule; and
(3) for a construction loan, the project must have a facility plan approved by the Pollution
Control Agency.
(c) The Pollution Control Agency shall annually provide to the Public Facilities Authority
its project priority list of wastewater and storm water projects to be considered for funding. The
Public Facilities Authority may not submit the plan until it has received the review and comment
of the pollution control agency or until 30 days have elapsed since the plan was submitted to the
Pollution Control Agency, whichever occurs first. In addition, the Public Facilities Authority shall
offer municipalities seeking placement on the intended use plan an opportunity to review and
comment on the plan before it is adopted. The plan may be amended to add additional projects
for consideration for funding as it determines funds are available and additional projects are
able to proceed.
    Subd. 5. Applications. Applications by municipalities and other entities identified in the
annual intended use plan for loans from the water pollution control revolving fund must be made
to the authority on forms requiring information prescribed by the rules of the agency adopted
under this section. The authority shall send the applications to the agency within ten days of
receipt. The director shall certify to the authority those applications that appear to meet the criteria
set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, this section, and rules of the agency.
    Subd. 6. Award and terms of loans. The authority shall award loans to those municipalities
and other entities certified by the Pollution Control Agency or shall provide funding for the
appropriate state agency or department to make loans for eligible activities certified by the
pollution control agency provided the use of funds and the terms and conditions of the loans are in
conformance with the federal Water Pollution Control Act, this section, and rules of the Pollution
Control Agency and the authority adopted under this section.
    Subd. 7. Loan conditions. When making loans from the revolving fund, the authority shall
comply with the conditions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, including:
(a) Loans must be made at or below market interest rates, including interest-free loans, at
terms not to exceed 20 years.
(b) The annual principal and interest payments must begin no later than one year after
completion of a project. Loans must be fully amortized no later than 20 years after project
completion.
(c) A loan recipient shall establish a dedicated source of revenue for repayment of the loan.
(d) The fund must be credited with all payments of principal and interest on all loans.
    Subd. 8. Other uses of revolving fund. The water pollution control revolving fund may be
used as provided in title VI of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, including the following
uses:
(1) to buy or refinance the debt obligation of governmental units for treatment works where
debt was incurred and construction begun after March 7, 1985, at or below market rates;
(2) to guarantee or purchase insurance for local obligations to improve credit market access
or reduce interest rates;
(3) to provide a source of revenue or security for the payment of principal and interest on
revenue or general obligation bonds issued by the authority if the bond proceeds are deposited in
the fund;
(4) to provide loan guarantees, loans, or set-aside for similar revolving funds established by a
governmental unit other than state agencies, or state agencies under sections 17.117, 103F.725,
subdivision 1a , 116J.403, and 116J.617; provided that no more than $4,000,000 of the balance in
the fund may be used for the small cities block grant program under section 116J.403 and the
tourism loan program under section 116J.617, taken together;
(5) to earn interest on fund accounts; and
(6) to pay the reasonable costs incurred by the authority and the agency of administering the
fund and conducting activities required under the federal Water Pollution Control Act, including
water quality management planning under section 205(j) of the act and water quality standards
continuing planning under section 303(e) of the act.
Amounts spent under clause (6) may not exceed the amount allowed under the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act.
    Subd. 9. Payments. Payments from the fund must be made in accordance with the applicable
state and federal law governing the payments, except that for projects other than those funded
under section 17.117, 103F.725, subdivision 1a, 116J.403, 116J.617, or 462A.05, no payment for
a project may be made to a governmental unit until and unless the authority has determined the
total estimated cost of the project and ascertained that financing of the project is assured by:
(1) a loan authorized by state law or the appropriation of proceeds of bonds or other money
of the governmental unit to a fund for the construction of the project; and
(2) an irrevocable undertaking, by resolution of the governing body of the governmental
unit, to use all money made available for the project exclusively for the project, and to pay any
additional amount by which the cost of the project exceeds the estimate by the appropriation to
the construction fund of additional money or the proceeds of additional bonds to be issued by
the governmental unit.
    Subd. 10. Rules of authority. The commissioner shall adopt rules containing procedures
for the administration of the authority's duties as provided in this section, including loan interest
rates, the amounts of loans, and municipal financial need.
    Subd. 11. Rules of agency. The agency shall adopt rules relating to the procedure for
preparation of the annual intended use plan and other matters that the agency considers necessary
for proper loan administration. Eligible activities are those required under the federal Water
Pollution Control Act of 1987, as amended.
History: 1987 c 386 art 3 s 24; 1989 c 354 s 4; 1990 c 564 s 4; 1992 c 601 s 12; 1994 c
465 art 1 s 51; 1994 c 632 art 2 s 44-48; 1995 c 220 s 122; 1996 c 407 s 47; 2002 c 380 art 2 s
17; 2002 c 393 s 64