ST. PAUL - A bill that would designate nearly $152 million of the sales tax money raised over the next two years by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Constitutional Amendment, approved in November, for funding the Clean Water Legacy Act passed in 2006 was introduced in the state Senate Thursday by Sen. Dennis Frederickson, R-New Ulm.
A companion measure, House File 2128, to Frederickson's Senate File 1913 was introduced in the state House of Representatives by Rep. Kent Eken, DFL-Twin Valley.
The measure proposes spending $69,506,000 in 2010 and $82,460,000 in 2011, making a total expenditure of $151,966,000, according to the bill's summary of appropriations.
The largest portion, $50,536,000, will go to the state Board of Water and Soil Resources, with $22,416,000, being dispersed in 2010, and $28,120,000 in 2011. The second largest portion, $46,190,000 over the next two years, would go to the state Public Facilities Authority.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency would receive the third largest portion, $35,958,000, as a result of receiving $17,488,000 in 2010 and $18,470,000 in 2011.
Minnesota's Agriculture Department would receive a total of $8,205,000, divided into a $6,265,000 disbursement in 2010 and $1,940,000 in 2011. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources would receive a total of $7,087,000, split into a $3,382,000 payment in 2010 and $3,705,000 in 2011.
The state Department of Health would receive $3,251,000, divided into a $1,461,000 payment in 2010 and a $1,790,000 payment in 2011, and the Metropolitan Council would receive $739,000 divided into a $334,000 payment in 2010 and a $405,000 payment in 2011.
"The clean water portion of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment was the major reason many people voted 'yes' last fall," Frederickson said, in defending the division of sales tax revenue.
"Funding the Clean Water Legacy will keep the promise made to voters that we are going to ensure clean water for future Minnesotan generations. This is a giant step toward complying with the 1972 federal Clean Water Act," he said.
"A coalition of groups, called the G-16, representing business, agriculture, local government and environmental organizations, has supported the need for the funding and how the money should be spent. The Clean Water Council, appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, recommended a funding plan that is contained in the bill to fund the Clean Water Legacy Act," Frederickson noted.
"The bill directs more than $14 million to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to complete the job of testing the state's lakes and rivers as required under the federal Clean Water Act," he continued.
"To date, less than a quarter of the state's lakes and rivers have been tested. The two agencies will receive more than $20 million to develop and implement plans to clean up polluted lakes and rivers."
Ron Larsen can be reached at rlarsen@nujournal.com