HF2314 Summary

• Appropriates $9,291,000 total for environment and natural resources agencies: $4,032,000 for fiscal year 2010 and $5,259,000 for fiscal year 2011, distributed among General, Environmental, and Game and Fish funds.

• Reduces appropriations across multiple programs including Pollution Control Agency ($535,000-$630,000), Natural Resources ($2,501,000-$3,184,000), Board of Water and Soil Resources ($884,000-$1,145,000), and Metropolitan Council ($112,000-$300,000).

• Transfers $335,000 from cost-share flood programs in southeastern Minnesota to the general fund and transfers stream protection fund balances and repayments to the general fund beginning fiscal year 2010.

• Amends Minnesota Statutes to modify payments to counties for natural resources lands (87% for fiscal 2011, then 93.5% thereafter), establish a peace officer training account funded by criminal and traffic offender surcharges, and create procedures for assessing environmental impact statement costs to project proposers.

• Modifies environmental assessment worksheet cost provisions by exempting local governments from paying the first ten hours of assessed costs and allowing the state Environmental Quality Board to modify or determine reasonable costs.