CCP 04-25-1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ITEN No. 2 Ce '. cJI1 ~ ;1/ J>>' 3490 IaingtonAvenue North St. Paul, MN 55126-8044 League of Minnesota Cities (612) 490-5600 March 16, 1994 Senator Steve Morse G-24 Capitol St. Paul, MN 55155 Dear Senator MOrse: . The League of Minnesota Cities strongly supports passage of an alternative to superfund for landfill cleanup. It is vitally important that the legislature act this session to pass S.F .1133 or similar legislation. Any further delay will expose more cities, businesses, and individuals to claims similar to those made last year in Anoka County. As a practical matter, the issue of reimbursement, particularly the mechanics of retroactively applying an alternative program for third-party payors, will only become worse if we wait to act. . Several of Minnesota's cities made payments to the trust for the Oak Grove clean-up and all cities throughout the state have potential liability for other landfills. It is not a metropolitan or Greater Minnesota issue but truly a state issue, as indicated by the attached list of cities, counties, and school districts targeted for other landfills. Further, our "Oak Grove experience" supports MPCA estimates that transaction costs will at least equal the amounts paid for cleaning up these facilities. The League supports the creation of a long-term program with dedicated funding sources. While our preference is for funding sources that have positive economic and environmental side effects such as increasing the cost to consumers who choose to purchase products that might damage the environment or are otherwise difficult to manage, we are pragmatically supportive of any combination of funding sources which are politically acceptable to a majority of the legislature and the governor. We would recommend, however, that if the solid waste assessment is to be increased that this year's legislation spell out how much the increase will be and when it will occur over the life of the entire program, not just for the fIrst few years. We look forward to supporting your efforts on this issue. Sincerely, 001 J. amnik Sr. Intergovernmental Relations Representative JJJ:mjd Enc.