5.3. ERMUSR 02-08-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minne;tita ....i\..~....,.. RURAL- _ AVER As;~ci,rti~n The ~~C~1111'CA'~ ASSIStA'/]CP'' February 2005 T'irnes Office of Pipeline Safety to Propose Costly Rules Requiring Cities to Locate Private Facilities By firm Hi~ins On December 20, the Office of Pipeline Safer}' (MnOPS) will publish proposed permanent rules requiring cities to install a locating (tracer) wire or "ocher equally effective means" of marking private water and sewer service lines installed in public rights-of-way after December 31, ?005. Other proposed rules would require cities to locate that portion of those facilities and to maintain maps, diagrams, drawings, or geospatial (GIS) information regarding such facilities within the public-right-of-~~~av that are installed after December 31, 2005. Because the rules would increase city costs substantially and «~ould impose an unprecedented obligation to locate private facilities, the League has expressed strong objections to imposing such rules and encourages cities to send letters expressing their concerns and objections ro the proposed rules. The proposed rules will be published in the December ?0 issue of the State Kegister and will announce a public hearing to be held on Febniary I , 2005. ~I he exact time and place of the hearing will be included with the published rules. To view the published rules, visit w~~~w.minnesorabookstore.com (click on "Scare Register"). A copy; of the proposed permanent rules dated November 24, which have been approved for publication by the Office of the Revisor of State Statutes, is currently available on the MnOPS website at: ~ww.dps.state.mn.us%pipeline/publicnotice.html (click nn "MR %560 Final Orafr 1 1/24/04.pdf"). Comments may be submitted orally at the hearing or at any time before the close of the hearir:g record. Following the February 1 hearing, there is a five working-day rebuttal period during which interested parties and the Office of Pipeline Safety may respond ro new information submitted. x111 comments and responses submitted to the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) must be received by the Office of Administrative Hearings no later than 4:30 p.m. on the due date for the close of the rebuttal period established by the ALJ ar the hearing. Submit comments to: Richard Luis, Administrative Law Judge, Office of Administrative Hearings, 100 Washington Square, Suite 1700, Minneapolis, MN 55401-218. Prior to the hearing or during the comment or rebuttal period, the Office of Pipeline Safety has requested that persons submitting written comments or data ro the ALJ also submit a copy of those comments or data to the 1\InOPS contact person: Michael h~lcGrath, Coordinator, Damage Prevention, Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety, 444 Cedar Street, Suite 147> St. Paul, MN 55101-514?. The League-along with the ~'~Iinnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA), the Minnesota Section of the American Water 1Y/orks Association, the City Engineers Association of Minnesota, the Minnesota Public ~Wrks Association, the Minnesota \X/astewater Operators Association, and the Suburban Rare Association-has raised serious objections to rule changes that MnOPS plans to adopt. ~~ On Ta//pr Uur (uuwunntuc ~ Uur ihufeaiuu (Continued on Page 7) Rural/Municipal Water and Wastewater publication of the Minnesota Rural Water Association Elbow bake, MN 'Telephone: 800-367-6792 tax: 218-685-5272 Web: www.mrwa.com E-mail: mrwaC°mrwa.com Member of the National Rural Water Association