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for emergency renovations of <br />the sewer system at the correc- <br />tional facility in Faribault. <br />~ 3 <br />l®t generic <br />envir® en 1 i pact <br />s to at (LEIS) <br />The GEIS on animal agriculture <br />was funded at $1.6 million (the <br />governor's budget had re- <br />quested S 1.8 million). The <br />CA will be a participant in <br />this major study. <br />C®unty fu®ding <br />The Legislature gave the <br />l+/IPCA's county feedlot grants <br />grogram an additional X901,000 <br />aver base for the biennium. <br />(This is grant money that the <br />MPCA gives to counties to run <br />their programs.) The environ- <br />ment bill also included no fee <br />increase prior to July 1, 2001; <br />legislative review of fee rules; <br />permissive language related to <br />A/IPCA enforcement authority <br />(iVIPCA may forgive Adminis- <br />trative Penalty Orders but is not <br />required to); and existing <br />statutory language that allows <br />the Legislature 90 days to <br />review the agency's feedlot <br />rules and prohibits the rules <br />from becoming effective prior <br />to April 1, 2000. <br />C'A pr® n g <br />The environment bill also gives <br />the NIPCA flexibility to redirect <br />up to X300,000 in existing <br />funding for the purpose of <br />reducing review time for <br />feedlot 'ts and providing <br />technical assistance to county <br />programs and feedlot owners. <br />This is a major and much- <br />needed advance in legislative <br />policy on funding flexibility for <br />the agency. <br />ydr®gen su de a issi®ns <br />The governor vetoed a bill that <br />would have given farmers <br />limited exemption from ex- <br />ceeding ambient air-quality <br />standards, including hydrogen <br />sulfide standards. The bill also <br />would have ended both the <br />connected actions provision of <br />environmental review (as it <br />applies to feedlots) and the <br />Environmental Quality Board <br />(EQB) rulemaking that would <br />have replaced connected ac- <br />tions. The governor's office <br />issued a statement with his veto <br />directing the IvIPCA to use <br />discretionary authority when <br />appropriate and reasonable with <br />regard to hydrogen sulfide <br />enforcement during agitation <br />and pumpout of manure storage <br />facilities, and recommended <br />that farmers be allowed be- <br />tween 14 and 21 days (from <br />language in House and Senate <br />versions) per year for this <br />activity. Current statutory <br />authority is in A~I.S. 115 and <br />116. The statement also in- <br />sisted that the agency work <br />with the Department of Agri- <br />culture and EQB to "end an era <br />of divisiveness and disagree- <br />For information on feedlots, <br />contact Gretchen Sabel at 651/ <br />297-7574. <br />9 <br />