17.9891 PURPOSE. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of natural resources, commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency, and Board of Water and Soil Resources, may implement a Minnesota agricultural water quality certification program whereby a producer who demonstrates practices and management sufficient to protect water quality is certified for up to ten years and […]
17.9892 DEFINITIONS. Subdivision 1. Application. The definitions in this section apply to sections 17.9891 to 17.993. Subd. 2. Certification. “Certification” means a producer has demonstrated compliance with all applicable environmental rules and statutes for all of the producer’s owned and rented agricultural land and has achieved a satisfactory score through the certification instrument as verified […]
17.9893 CERTIFICATION INSTRUMENT. The commissioner, in consultation with the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program Advisory Committee, commissioner of natural resources, commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency, and Board of Water and Soil Resources, shall develop an analytical instrument to assess the water quality practices and management of agricultural operations. This instrument shall be used […]
17.9894 CERTIFYING AGENT LICENSE. Subdivision 1. License. A person who offers certification services to producers as part of the program must satisfy all criteria in subdivision 2 and be licensed by the commissioner. A certifying agent is ineligible to provide certification services to any producer to whom the certifying agent has also provided technical assistance. […]
17.9895 DUTIES OF A CERTIFYING AGENT. Subdivision 1. Duties. A certifying agent shall conduct a formal certification assessment utilizing the certification instrument to determine whether a producer meets program criteria. If a producer satisfies all requirements, the certifying agent shall notify the commissioner of the producer’s eligibility and request that the commissioner issue a certificate. […]
17.9896 CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES. Subdivision 1. Producer duties. A producer who seeks certification of eligible land shall conduct an initial assessment using the certification instrument, obtain technical assistance if necessary to achieve a satisfactory score on the certification instrument, and apply for certification from a licensed certifying agent. Subd. 2. Owned land. Once certified, if a […]
17.9897 CERTIFICATION CERTAINTY. (a) Once a producer is certified, the producer: (1) retains certification for up to ten years from the date of certification if the producer complies with the certification agreement, even if the producer does not comply with new state water protection laws or rules that take effect during the certification period; (2) […]
17.9898 AUDITS. The commissioner shall perform random audits of producers and certifying agents to ensure compliance with the program. All producers and certifying agents shall cooperate with the commissioner during these audits, and provide all relevant documents to the commissioner for inspection and copying. Any delay, obstruction, or refusal to cooperate with the commissioner’s audit […]
17.9899 DATA. All data collected under the program that identifies a producer or a producer’s location are considered nonpublic data as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 9, or private data on individuals as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 12. The commissioner shall make available summary data of program outcomes on data classified as private or […]
17.991 RULEMAKING. The commissioner may adopt rules to implement the program. History: 2013 c 114 art 2 s 14
17.992 REPORTS. The commissioner, in consultation with the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program Advisory Committee, commissioner of natural resources, commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency, and Board of Water and Soil Resources, shall issue a biennial report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over agricultural policy on […]
17.993 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. The commissioner may use contributions from gifts or other state accounts, provided that the purpose of the expenditure is consistent with the purpose of the accounts, for grants, loans, or other financial assistance. History: 2013 c 114 art 2 s 16
