1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; establishing a task force and requiring a plan for the 
1.3 	management of the Rainy/Lake of the Woods Watershed; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. RAINY/LAKE OF THE WOODS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT 
1.6 	PLAN.
 1.7 		Subdivision 1.Creation. The governor shall appoint a task force composed of 
1.8 	a representative from each of the following entities to develop the plan required in 
1.9 	subdivision 2:
1.10 	(1) the Department of Natural Resources;
1.11 	(2) the Pollution Control Agency;
1.12 	(3) the Department of Commerce;
1.13 	(4) the Department of Transportation;
1.14 	(5) the Department of Labor and Industry;
1.15 	(6) the Department of Employment and Economic Development;
1.16 	(7) the Department of Agriculture; and
1.17 	(8) the Board of Water and Soil Resources.
1.18 		Subd. 2.Duties. The task force must develop a plan for the management of the 
1.19 	Rainy/Lake of the Woods Watershed and submit the plan to the legislature in order to:
1.20 	(1) help resolve outstanding issues regarding the management of the region by 
1.21 	federal, state, local, and international government entities;
1.22 	(2) simplify and streamline regulations of government entities having jurisdiction 
1.23 	in the region;
2.1 	(3) promote coordination and cooperative agreements between and among 
2.2 	government entities at all levels;
2.3 	(4) help resolve issues regarding the use of the United States-Canada boundary 
2.4 	waters by updating the 1909 Root-Bryce Treaty; and
2.5 	(5) promote a water quality agreement with Canada.
2.6 	A preliminary plan shall be submitted no later than June 30, 2010, and the final 
2.7 	plan shall be submitted no later than June 30, 2012. The plans shall be submitted to the 
2.8 	legislature in compliance with Minnesota Statutes, sections 3.195 and 3.197.
2.9 		Subd. 3.Administrative provisions. (a) The governor or the governor's designee 
2.10 	shall convene the initial meeting of the task force and act as the chair of the task force.
2.11 	(b) The task force expires June 30, 2012, or upon submission of the final report 
2.12 	required under subdivision 2, whichever is earlier.
2.13 		Subd. 4.Deadline for appointments. The appointments authorized by this section 
2.14 	must be completed by August 1, 2008.

2.15 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.16 	$....... is appropriated from the ... to the Legislative Coordinating Commission for 
2.17 	the purposes of the task force established in section 1.