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.,,,,, li evitect 4 , 7 4e " l, jib Vol. 15, No. 10 May 13, 2016 House Passes Regulatory Certainty Bill On Monday, the House passed the "regulatory certainty" bill (S.F. 3272) on a 105-23 vote. The bill now awaits the Governor's signature. Since it is an initiative of his administration, it is fully anticipated the bill will be signed into law. The proposal will allow the MPCA to provide a municipal or industrial wastewater facility with"regulatory certainty" if they agree to voluntarily treat for nitrogen while also treating for phosphorus. This means the MPCA would not increase the facility's nitrogen or phosphorus limit for the useful life of the equipment, up to 20 years. MMUA worked with the League of Minnesota Cities and MPCA to support this bill's passage. Thanks to all the members who contacted their legislators about the bill! Rail Crossing Fees Bill Hearing Next Monday The railroad crossing fees bill (HF 963) has been scheduled for a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday, May 16. MMUA, together with MREA and the Minnesota Telecom Alliance has been actively working with House bill author Rep. Deb Kiel (R-Crookston) and Transportation Chair Tim Kelly(R- Red Wing)to move this bill forward. Several meetings with the railroads have also occurred. While a number of the railroads'technical concerns will be addressed in an amendment,there is a fundamental disagreement over the level of the one-time fee and their ability to charge annual fees. Rep. Kiel will offer an amendment to slightly increase the bill's proposed $750 crossing fee (likely to $1,250) but has stated she will remain opposed to allowing any annual fees. The amendment will also provide a 35-day timeline for railroads to approve or reject a crossing request before the utility can move forward with the project. (The bill as introduced provided 30 days.) If your utility has been charged unreasonable crossing fees by railroads and/or experienced project delays due to crossing fee negotiations, please share these experiences with legislators. Please contact your State Representative and members of the Ways and Means Committee and ask them to support the passage of HF 963. Emphasize the need for a reasonable one-time fee and reasonable timeframe to secure approval for the crossing! Still No Progress on Bonding, Taxes, or Transportation With just over a week left to go in the 2016 Legislative Session, a "global" agreement on transportation funding, bonding, or tax bill has not yet been reached. These issues are seen as key to finalizing the session. Leadership has identified transportation as the first area where agreement must be reached. 318