HF573

Purpose

• To provide funding and financing for a new municipal integrated solid waste management campus in St. Louis County. The bill aims to acquire property, design, engineer, and construct the campus, which will handle both new waste and waste from dumps and closed landfills, and it is intended to prevent PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and other contaminants from entering Lake Superior.

Main Provisions

• Subdivision 1 – Appropriation: The bill appropriates $6,000,000 from the bond proceeds fund to the Pollution Control Agency to grant to St. Louis County for property acquisition and for design, engineering, and construction of the new campus. The campus is intended to accept waste from all dumps and other landfills within the closed landfill program and to prevent PFAS and other contaminants from reaching Lake Superior.
• Subdivision 2 – Bond Sale: The bill authorizes the sale and issuance of state bonds up to $6,000,000 to cover the appropriation, to be issued in the manner required by Minnesota law and the state Constitution.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Establishes a new capital investment project and funding pathway for a municipal solid waste campus in St. Louis County, supported by a $6 million bond issuance.
• Expands the role of the Pollution Control Agency in administering the grant for property acquisition, design, engineering, and construction related to the campus.
• Enables the project to process waste from both new sources and all dumps/landfills in the closed landfill program, with the explicit aim of preventing PFAS and other contaminants from contaminating Lake Superior.

Summary

• This bill creates a funded project to build a new solid waste management campus in northern Minnesota, backed by state bonds and overseen through the Pollution Control Agency. The campus would serve multiple waste sources and focus on preventing PFAS contamination of Lake Superior.

Relevant Terms - PFAS - perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances - Lake Superior - municipal integrated solid waste management campus - closed landfill program - Pollution Control Agency - St. Louis County - grant - property acquisition - design - engineer - construct - bond proceeds fund - bonds - bond sale - Minnesota Statutes 16A.631 to 16A.675 - Minnesota Constitution article XI - capital investment