Legislative Session number- 83

Bill Name: SF0794

E Relating to energy; excluding independent spent fuel storage + installations
located on nuclear generation facility sites for dry cask storage of +spent
nuclear fuel generated by the facilities from the definition of +radioactive
waste management facility; increasing the amount of money required to+ be
transferred annually by the public utility owning the Prairie Island +nuclear
generating plant to a renewable development account under certain +conditions;
allocating a certain amount of money annually from the renewable +development
account to support basic and applied research at the university of +Minnesota
hydrogen and renewables research center and to fund the renewable +energy
production incentives for certain larger wind energy conversion +systems,
requiring the department of commerce to determine eligibility of +projects,
sunsets; providing authorization for the continued operation of the +Prairie
Island nuclear power generating plant until the end of the federal +licensing
period subject to federal limits, expanding the use of the payments +of the
settlement agreement with the Mdewakanton Dakota tribal council at +Prairie
Island relating to dry cask storage, requiring public utilities +commission
approval of a certificate of need and legislative ratification of +future
authorization of additional dry cask storage, specifying certain +conditions for
storage of spent nuclear fuel, applying certain water standards to +independent
spent fuel storage installations and subjecting installations to +environmental
review by the environmental quality board (EQB); establishing a state+ hydrogen
energy economy goal; including the use of devices limiting or +interrupting
electric service in the definition of disconnection under the cold +weather rule
and prohibiting disconnection during periods of excessive heat; +requiring the
PUC to approve a rate schedule providing for the automatic adjustment+ of
charges to recover the costs or expenses of a settlement between the +owner of
the Prairie Island nuclear facility and the Mdewakanton Dakota tribal+ council
resolving certain outstanding disputes relating to dry cask storage, +requiring
the settlement to provide for annual payments by the public utility +to the
Prairie Island Indian community to acquire land for housing purposes;+ expanding
eligible energy technology relating to biomass for renewable energy +objectives
purposes to energy recovery facilities used to capture the heat value+ of mixed
municipal solid waste or refuse derived fuel (RDF), objective to be a
requirement for the public utility operating the Prairie Island +facility;
requiring electric utilities to determine necessary transmission +upgrades to
support development of renewable energy resources, qualifying the +upgrades for
certain rate treatment under certain conditions; modifying the energy
conservation improvement plan overview filing requirement for certain+ smaller
municipal utilities certain conservation spending requirements, +temporarily
authorizing spending to refurbish existing district heating or +cooling systems;
increasing the maximum number of megawatts authorized to be provided +through
the use of poultry litter; requiring certificates of need for +additional
storage of spent nuclear fuel at the time of relicensure to address +the impacts
of continued operations; authorizing townships to enter into +agreements with
natural gas public utilities for services; modifying certain +responsibilities
and membership requirements of the legislative electric energy task +force,
requiring the task force to evaluate and recommend to the legislature+ potential
electric energy resources and to study issues relating to the +transportation of
spent nuclear fuel to repositories outside the state, requiring +biennial
reports and recommendations to the legislature; increasing the +maximum public
utility assessment for operation and extending the expiration date of+ the task
force; reducing the amount of money required to be spent annually by +the
department of commerce for administrative costs of the reliability
administrator; authorizing the commissioner of commerce temporarily +to
additionally assess public utilities for transfer to the commissioner+ of
administration for public building energy conservation purposes; +clarifying the
definition of qualified wind energy conversion facility relating to +location
and ownership for renewable energy production incentive eligibility +purposes;
extending the eligibility of the facilities for renewable energy +production
incentive payments and specifying certain limits and application +requirements,
imposing certain time limits for application approval and for +facility
operation and providing for funding of additional small wind energy +production
incentives; requiring reduction of the biomass mandate and +refurbishment of
metropolitan area electric generation facilities by the public +utility owing
the Prairie Island plant; providing for the creation of energy +enterprise zones
to encourage interest in innovative clean energy sources and in the +recovery of
the most economically problematic regions of the state; specifying +certain
designation eligibility requirements, requiring designation by the commissioner
of the iron range resources and rehabilitation board +(IRRRB)and providing
certain regulatory incentives; authorizing the PUC to +review the administration
of the renewable development account; requiring the +department of trade and
economic development to develop a program to promote and+ encourage the
development and attraction of businesses engaged in the +biocatalysis of
agricultural and forestry plant products for the production of +hydrogen, the
manufacture of hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen electrolysis from +renewable
energy sources and report to the legislature by a certain date on +legislative
changes or additional funding needed for the program; requiring the +DTED
commissioner in consultation with the commissioners of commerce and +revenue to
develop a plan to designate a certain number of energy innovation +zones to spur
energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in the state, +specifying
certain criteria for consideration and certain plan requirements and +requiring
a report to the legislature by a certain date; requiring the +department of
commerce in cooperation with DTED to develop and issue a request for +proposals
for construction of a hydrogen to electricity demonstration project +consisting
of certain specified components (je, ja)