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Minnesota Agencies

Information on Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, Task Forces, and Commissions

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Power Plant Siting Scientific Advisory Task Force

Active dates:1977 -
Function: Research and make recommendations concerning issues relating to power plant siting.
Preceded by:
Power Plant Siting Scientific Advisory Committee
History: Authority to create a scientific committee was enacted in 1977. "The board may appoint one or more advisory committee composed of technical and scientific experts to conduct research and make recommendations concerning generic issues such as health and safety, underground routes, double circuiting and long range route and site planning. Reimbursement for expenses incurred shall be made pursuant to the rules governing reimbursement of slate employees."

In 1988 the statute changed to allow for the creation of a [SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE TASK FORCE.] "The board may appoint one or more advisory committee task forces composed of technical and scientific experts. The task forces expire as provided in section 15.059, subdivision 6."

A September 24, 2013 letter to Representative Paul Thissen, Speaker of the House and Chair, Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy, stated the following: The Commission [Public Utilities Commission] is authorized to appoint a task force composed of technical and scientific experts to conduct research and make recommendations concerning generic issues such as health and safety.
The Commission has not to date appointed such a task force for these purposes. Nonetheless, we believe it would be appropriate to retain this authority in Statute in case the Commission determines such scientific and technical input would be useful in a future proceeding." (See Report listed below for complete letter).

The Power Plant Siting Scientific Advisory Task Force was reviewed by the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy (LCPFP) in 2013 as part of their biennial duty required by Minn. Stat. 3.885 Subd. 11. The LCPFP's 2013 Recommendations called for keeping the task force.
Membership: Technical and scientific experts; appointed by Environmental Quality Board (may appoint); terms not specified; members reimbursed for expenses.
Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Record last updated: 02/05/2015
 

All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.

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