SF2782

Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of the bill is to revise the Minnesota Statutes by removing outdated provisions related to environmental regulation. Specifically, it targets the removal of certain responsibilities from the Environmental Quality Board concerning lead regulation coordination and environmental reviews for silica sand projects.

Main Provisions

• Repeal of Obsolete Responsibilities: The bill seeks to repeal outdated statutory requirements assigned to the Environmental Quality Board, which include coordination for interagency compliance with lead regulations that was to be reported by 1992.
• Silica Sand Project Assessments: The bill aims to repeal provisions that required an extensive environmental assessment worksheet for silica sand projects. This included assessments of hydrogeologic conditions, air quality, traffic impacts, and compatibility with existing land uses, among other things.

Significant Changes

• Environmental Quality Board's Role: The bill eliminates the role that the Environmental Quality Board played in coordinating state and federal lead regulations and conducting environmental reviews for silica sand projects.
• Regulatory Simplifications: By repealing these sections, the bill effectively reduces the statutory obligations for environmental assessments on silica sand projects, possibly streamlining the regulatory process.

Relevant Terms

• Environmental Quality Board
• Lead regulations
• Environmental assessment worksheet
• Silica sand projects
• Hydrogeologic investigation
• Groundwater appropriation
• Air quality impact
• Traffic impact analysis
• Environmental review