Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/12/2012

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Zoning Bulletin May 10, 2012 I Volume 6 I Issue 9 Case Note: The court also found that, notwithstanding LURC's conclusion that the "community benefits package" and the payments to DOL and HPA fell within the definition of the "tangible benefits" that are "attributable to the construction, operation and mainte- nance" found in the preamendment version of § 3451(10), LURC made other findings that would independently support its decision to approve TransCanada's amended application. Specifically, LURC had found the project would, among other things: result in several hundred jobs; provide indirect benefits to local businesses during the construction period; create one additional permanent job in operations and mainte- nance; and generate an estimated $13 million in state income taxes over a 25-year period. oning News from Around the Nation MARYLAND The state Senate recently passed legislation that would require counties to draw mapped "tiers" of development before any major subdivisions served by septic systems could be approved. The bill now moves to the House. Source: The Washington Post; www.washingtonpost.com MISSOURI The state House of Representatives has given first -round approval to a mea- sure that would "declare that farmers have a `right to raise livestock.' " Under the measure, livestock farmers would be exempt from "local, state or federal laws enacted after the farm goes into business or Aug. 28, 2012, whichever is later." This would exempt Missouri livestock farmers from new zoning and environmental laws, among other laws. Bill supporters say the measure "would give farm -related businesses more certainty about laws so that they can make long-term investments." Opponents of the measure argue the mea- sure "would create confusion for state and local agencies trying to enforce laws and ordinances because the agency would have to know if the farm existed when the law was created" and "could make it more difficult for the state to enact and enforce agricultural regulations during farm -related emer- gencies, such as a disease outbreak, because some businesses would have to comply, while others would not." The bill must be approved once more by the House before it goes to the Senate for consideration. Source: Columbia Daily Tribune; www.columbiatribune.com NEW YORK A substantive.amendment to the New York Open Meeting Law went into effect in February 2012. The new law "requires public records that are scheduled to be the subject of discussion during an open meeting to be avail- © 2012 Thomson Reuters 11