1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to public utilities; adding a high voltage 
  1.3             transmission line that crosses the state boundary to 
  1.4             the definition of a large energy facility; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 216B.2421, 
  1.6             subdivision 2. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 216B.2421, 
  1.9   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 2.  [LARGE ENERGY FACILITY.] "Large energy facility" 
  1.11  means: 
  1.12     (a) any electric power generating plant or combination of 
  1.13  plants at a single site with a combined capacity of 80,000 
  1.14  kilowatts or more, or any facility of 50,000 kilowatts or more 
  1.15  which requires oil, natural gas, or natural gas liquids as a 
  1.16  fuel and for which an installation permit has not been applied 
  1.17  for by May 19, 1977 pursuant to Minn. Reg. APC 3(a); 
  1.18     (b) any high voltage transmission line with a capacity of 
  1.19  200 kilovolts or more and with more than 50 miles of its length 
  1.20  in Minnesota; ~~or,~~ any high voltage transmission line with a 
  1.21  capacity of 300 kilovolts or more with more than 25 miles of its 
  1.22  length in Minnesota; or any high voltage transmission line with 
  1.23  a capacity of 200 kilovolts or more that crosses the Minnesota 
  1.24  state boundary; 
  1.25     (c) any pipeline greater than six inches in diameter and 
  1.26  having more than 50 miles of its length in Minnesota used for 
  2.1   the transportation of coal, crude petroleum or petroleum fuels 
  2.2   or oil or their derivatives; 
  2.3      (d) any pipeline for transporting natural or synthetic gas 
  2.4   at pressures in excess of 200 pounds per square inch with more 
  2.5   than 50 miles of its length in Minnesota; 
  2.6      (e) any facility designed for or capable of storing on a 
  2.7   single site more than 100,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas 
  2.8   or synthetic gas; 
  2.9      (f) any underground gas storage facility requiring permit 
  2.10  pursuant to section 103I.681; 
  2.11     (g) any nuclear fuel processing or nuclear waste storage or 
  2.12  disposal facility; and 
  2.13     (h) any facility intended to convert any material into any 
  2.14  other combustible fuel and having the capacity to process in 
  2.15  excess of 75 tons of the material per hour. 
  2.16     Sec. 2.  [EFFECT ON PENDING APPLICATIONS.] 
  2.17     (a) A utility that has filed an application for a permit 
  2.18  under section 116C.57, subdivision 2, which is pending approval 
  2.19  of the environmental quality board as of February 1, 1997, shall 
  2.20  not be required to resubmit any previously accepted permit 
  2.21  applications or to reinitiate ongoing permitting proceedings 
  2.22  under that section as a result of the enactment of section 1. 
  2.23     (b) Proceedings under section 216B.243 for a certificate of 
  2.24  need for a project which has a pending application for a permit 
  2.25  under section 116C.57, subdivision 2, as of February 1, 1997, 
  2.26  shall be evaluated by the commission based on the criteria 
  2.27  existing in law and commission rules as of the effective date of 
  2.28  this act, with particular attention and emphasis given to 
  2.29  criteria that address regional and interstate effects and 
  2.30  benefits. 
  2.31     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.32     This act is effective on the day following final enactment 
  2.33  and applies to projects for which a permit under Minnesota 
  2.34  Statutes, section 116C.57, subdivision 2, has not been granted 
  2.35  as of February 1, 1997.