5.2. ERMUSR 09-08-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Water and Soil Resources (BWSR),Metropolitan Council, and Zoological Board. Several policy provisions related to these agencies are also included. Appropriations of interest to MMUA: • $250,000/year to the MPCA for: o A municipal liaison to assist municipalities in implementing and participating in water quality standards rulemaking and navigating the NPDES/SDS permitting process o Economic analysis of the water quality standards rulemaking process o Development of statewide economic analyses and templates to reduce the amount of information and time required for municipalities to apply for variances from water quality standards o Coordinating with the Public Facilities Authority to identify and advocate for the resources needed for municipalities to achieve permit requirements • $200,000 for the MPCA for a grant to the Red River Basin Commission for development of a strategic plan for the Red River of the North. The plan must include consistency in water quality goals and objectives and pollution reduction allocations for both point and nonpoint sources and for individual watersheds. The MPCA must work with the North Dakota Department of Health, the United States EPA, and wastewater treatment plants in the Red River Basin to achieve phosphorus reductions needed to protect the Red River and Lake Winnipeg. • $100,000 for BWSR for a grant to the Red River Basin Commission • $3,423,000/year to BWSR for natural resources block grants to local governments Policy provisions of interest to MMUA: Utility Crossing Application Fee Exemption. Utilities are exempted from the application fee to cross public lands or public waters, so long as the line/cable/conduit is under 100 kilovolts. (HF 572-Hackbarth/SF 975-Skoe) Deferred Penalties for Self-Reporting. If a regulated entity identifies a violation and notifies the MPCA within two days of its discovery and the entity has not been cited for noncompliance within the past two years,penalties are deferred for 60 days. The MPCA must contact the entity within seven business days of the reporting to discuss the violation. The MPCA and the entity will develop a plan and timeframe to return the entity to compliance. The entity must submit the plan within seven days and return to compliance within 60 days unless another timeline was developed. There are circumstances where the MPCA may still bring civil or criminal penalties for self- reported violations: if the violation had the potential to cause serious harm to human health or the environment, if the violation is a specific term of an order, decree, agreement, or schedule of compliance, if the violation resulted in economic benefit that gives the entity an advantage over business competitors, or if the violation is found through a monitoring or sampling prescribed in statute, permit, regulation, decree, or agreement. 124