Agenda - Council - 05/27/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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stale and city owned vehicles and expe- diting the federal and state regulatory process regarding the manufacture of gas- ohol. 10. Support the establishment of a system of energy exchanges within the state, building on the indigenous renewable resources of local areas which are linked to markets for agricultural fuel products in adjoining urban areas. 11. Support additional funding to local govern- merits for mini and maxi-audits and imple- mentation of energy conservation mea- sures. 12. Support incentives to hasten the use of renewable resources. Special emphasis should be' placed on investment in re- sources appropriate to the local com- munity. 13. Give municipalities the option of enacting and enforcing more stringent codes, other than the building code, for purposes of energy conservation. Planning grant program The state matching grant program which pro- vides funds to increase the local planning capa- city of cities and counties should be continued by the legislature, recognizing that planning is an ongoing process. The League recommends that these funds be available to cities and counties for establishing and for continuing existing pla. n- ning programs. The legislation should reflect a higher priority for agricultural land preservation. Environmental impact statement process The rules and regulations which have been a- dopted by the Environmental Quality Council gov- erning the environmental impact statement pro- cess have gone a long way toward integrating this process into the pre-existing legal procedural framework in local units of government. The result has been to reinforce the traditional role of local government in land use and related decis- ions which are primarily of local concern. Further- more, the assignment of a major portion of the financial responsibility for the preparation of any necessary environmental impact statement to the party initiating the new development, relieves local government of what could be a significant financing burden. Nonetheless, there may be cir- cumstances where it would be in the public interest to have an environmental impact study conducted which could not or should not be assumed by the party initiating the new development. Therefore, the League recommends that cities continue to be permitted' to undertake such a study with their own resources. Furthermore, the petition pro- cedure should be revised to provide that only registered voters who are residents of the affected area, may sign petitions requesting the preparation of an environmental impact statement. Flexible approach to pollution control The present federal and state programs for the abatement of pollution problems tend to rely hea- vily or exclusively upon single solution approaches which are not necessarily appropriate or economi- cally feasible in very small communities. As a result, small cities may be required to install very costly central collection and treatment systems without regard to cost]benefit considerations or their ability to finance the continuing operation of such systems, and larger cities are discouraged from using alternative strategies where they might be appropriate. Consequently, the League recom- mends that both federal and state pollution control programs be modified to permit Iow interest loans and grants to upgrade alternative environmentally sound systems and to finance other means of on- site disposal of domestic and commercial wastes in small cities. The League encourages mandatory standards for individual on-site disposal systems. Intergovernmental strategies During the last several years, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agenc2y has taken several steps which have markedly improved, the working relationship between its own staff and local govern- ment officials. The decentralization of its staff in regional offices, the increasing willingness to provide technical assistance to local governments and the appointment of an advisory council composed of local government officials, have each contributed to better communication and coopera- tion. The League endorses these efforts and urges the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to con- tinue to involve local officials in the mutual effort to improve the effectiveness of our efforts to preserve and improve our enfironment, and encourages all other state agencies to do the same thing. Lake improvement and restoration Cities, towns and counties now have consider- - 25 -