SENATE BILL No. 969

 

 

February 10, 2004, Introduced by Senators McMANUS, JELINEK, CROPSEY, BIRKHOLZ, KUIPERS, ALLEN, HARDIMAN, GOSCHKA, GARCIA, PRUSI, STAMAS, BARCIA and CHERRY and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Natural resources and environmental protection act,"                       

                                                                                

    by amending sections 503 and 1907 (MCL 324.503 and 324.1907),               

                                                                                

    section 503 as amended by 1998 PA 419 and section 1907 as added             

                                                                                

    by 1995 PA 60.                                                              

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 503.  (1) The department shall  protect  do all of the                 

                                                                                

2   following:                                                                  

                                                                                

3       (a) Protect and conserve the natural resources of this state.               

                                                                                

4   ; provide                                                                  

                                                                                

5       (b) Provide and develop facilities for outdoor recreation.  ;               

                                                                                

6   prevent                                                                     

                                                                                

7       (c) Prevent the destruction of timber and other forest growth               

                                                                                

8   by fire or otherwise.  ; promote                                            

                                                                                

9       (d) Promote the reforesting of forest lands belonging to the                

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   state.  ; prevent                                                           

                                                                                

2       (e) Prevent and guard against the pollution of lakes and                    

                                                                                

3   streams within the state and enforce all laws provided for that             

                                                                                

4   purpose with all authority granted by law.  ; and foster                    

                                                                                

5       (f) Foster and encourage the  protecting  protection and                    

                                                                                

6   propagation of game and fish.                                               

                                                                                

7       (2) The department has the power and jurisdiction  over the                 

                                                                                

8   management, control, and disposition  to manage, control, and               

                                                                                

9   dispose of all land under the public domain, except for those               

                                                                                

10  lands under the public domain that are managed by other state               

                                                                                

11  agencies to carry out their assigned duties and                             

                                                                                

12  responsibilities.  On behalf of the people of the state, the                

                                                                                

13  department may accept gifts and grants of land and other property           

                                                                                

14  and may buy, sell, exchange, or condemn land and other property,            

                                                                                

15  for any of the purposes contemplated by this part.  Before                  

                                                                                

16  acquiring land, the department, in consultation with the                    

                                                                                

17  department of management and budget, shall prepare and consider a           

                                                                                

18  written analysis of all of the following:                                   

                                                                                

19      (a) The long-term costs of maintaining the land, including,                 

                                                                                

20  but not limited to, payments under part 21.                                 

                                                                                

21      (b) The state's ability to pay costs identified under                       

                                                                                

22  subdivision (a).                                                            

                                                                                

23      (c) A justification for acquiring the land in light of the                  

                                                                                

24  analysis's conclusions under subdivisions (a) and (b).                      

                                                                                

25      (3) The department may accept funds, money, or grants for                   

                                                                                

26  development of salmon and steelhead trout fishing in this state             

                                                                                

27  from the government of the United States, or any of its                     


                                                                                

1   departments or agencies, pursuant to the anadromous fish                    

                                                                                

2   conservation act,  Public Law 89-304, 16 U.S.C.  16 USC 757a to             

                                                                                

3   757f, and may use this money  in accordance with  subject to the            

                                                                                

4   terms and provisions of that act.  However, the acceptance and              

                                                                                

5   use of federal funds does not commit state funds and does not               

                                                                                

6   place an obligation upon the legislature to continue the purposes           

                                                                                

7   for which the funds are made available.                                     

                                                                                

8       (4)  (2)  The department may lease lands owned or controlled                

                                                                                

9   by the department or may grant concessions on lands owned or                

                                                                                

10  controlled by the department to any person for any purpose that             

                                                                                

11  the department determines to be necessary to implement this                 

                                                                                

12  part.  In granting a concession, the department shall provide               

                                                                                

13  that each concession is awarded at least every 7 years based on             

                                                                                

14  extension, renegotiation, or competitive bidding.  However, if              

                                                                                

15  the department determines that a concession requires a capital              

                                                                                

16  investment in which reasonable financing or amortization                    

                                                                                

17  necessitates a longer term, the department may grant a concession           

                                                                                

18  for up to a 15-year term.  A concession granted under this                  

                                                                                

19  subsection shall require, unless the department authorizes                  

                                                                                

20  otherwise, that all buildings and equipment shall be removed at             

                                                                                

21  the end of the concession's term.  Any lease entered into under             

                                                                                

22  this subsection shall limit the purposes for which the leased               

                                                                                

23  land is to be used and shall authorize the department to                    

                                                                                

24  terminate the lease upon a finding that the land is being used              

                                                                                

25  for purposes other than those permitted in the lease.  Unless               

                                                                                

26  otherwise provided by law, money received from a lease or a                 

                                                                                

27  concession of tax reverted land shall be credited to the fund               


                                                                                

1   providing financial support for the management of the leased                

                                                                                

2   land.  Money received from a lease of all other land shall be               

                                                                                

3   credited to the fund from which the land was purchased.  However,           

                                                                                

4   money received from program-related leases on these lands shall             

                                                                                

5   be credited to the fund providing financial support for the                 

                                                                                

6   management of the leased lands,  .  For land managed by the                 

                                                                                

7   forest management division of the department of natural                     

                                                                                

8   resources, that fund is either  such as the forest development              

                                                                                

9   fund established pursuant to  part 505 or  section 50507, the               

                                                                                

10  forest recreation fund created in  part 831.  For land managed by           

                                                                                

11  the wildlife or fisheries division of the department of natural             

                                                                                

12  resources, that fund is  section 83104, or the game and fish                

                                                                                

13  protection fund created in  part 435  section 43553, as                     

                                                                                

14  applicable.                                                                 

                                                                                

15      (5)  (3)  When the department sells land, the deed by which                 

                                                                                

16  the land is conveyed may reserve all mineral, coal, oil, and gas            

                                                                                

17  rights to the state only when the land is in production or is               

                                                                                

18  leased or permitted for production, or when the department                  

                                                                                

19  determines that the land has unusual or sensitive environmental             

                                                                                

20  features or that it is in the best interest of this state to                

                                                                                

21  reserve those rights as determined by commission policy.                    

                                                                                

22  However, the department shall not reserve the rights to sand,               

                                                                                

23  gravel, clay, or other nonmetallic minerals.  When the department           

                                                                                

24  sells land that contains subsurface rights, the department shall            

                                                                                

25  include a deed restriction that restricts the subsurface rights             

                                                                                

26  from being severed from the surface rights in the future.  If the           

                                                                                

27  landowner severs the subsurface rights from the surface rights,             


                                                                                

1   the subsurface rights revert to this state.  The deed may reserve           

                                                                                

2   to the state the right of ingress and egress over and across land           

                                                                                

3   along watercourses and streams.  Whenever an exchange of land is            

                                                                                

4   made, either with the United States government, a corporation, or           

                                                                                

5   an individual, for the purpose of consolidating the state forest            

                                                                                

6   reserves, the department may issue deeds without reserving to the           

                                                                                

7   state the mineral, coal, oil, and gas rights and the rights of              

                                                                                

8   ingress and egress.  The department may sell the limestone, sand,           

                                                                                

9   gravel, or other nonmetallic minerals.  However, the department             

                                                                                

10  shall not sell a mineral or nonmetallic mineral right if the sale           

                                                                                

11  would violate part 353, part 637, or any other provision of law.            

                                                                                

12  The department may sell all reserved mineral, coal, oil, and gas            

                                                                                

13  rights to such lands upon terms and conditions as the department            

                                                                                

14  considers proper and may sell oil and gas rights as provided in             

                                                                                

15  part 610.  The owner of such lands as shown by the records shall            

                                                                                

16  be given priority in case the department authorizes any sale of             

                                                                                

17  such  lands  rights, and, unless the landowner waives  such                 

                                                                                

18  rights  the priority, the department shall not sell  such  the              

                                                                                

19  rights to any other person.  For the purpose of this section,               

                                                                                

20  mineral rights do not include rights to sand, gravel, clay, or              

                                                                                

21  other nonmetallic minerals.                                                 

                                                                                

22      (6)  (4)  The department may enter into contracts for the                   

                                                                                

23  sale of the economic share of royalty interests it holds in                 

                                                                                

24  hydrocarbons produced from devonian or antrim shale qualifying              

                                                                                

25  for the nonconventional fuel credit contained in section 29 of              

                                                                                

26  the internal revenue code,  of 1986  26 USC 29.  However, in                

                                                                                

27  entering into these contracts, the department shall assure that             


                                                                                

1   revenues to the natural resources trust fund under these                    

                                                                                

2   contracts are not less than the revenues the natural resources              

                                                                                

3   trust fund would have received if the contracts were not entered            

                                                                                

4   into.  The sale of the economic share of royalty interests under            

                                                                                

5   this subsection may occur under contractual terms and conditions            

                                                                                

6   considered appropriate by the department and as approved by the             

                                                                                

7   state administrative board.  Funds received from the sale of the            

                                                                                

8   economic share of royalty interests under this subsection shall             

                                                                                

9   be transmitted to the state treasurer for deposit in the state              

                                                                                

10  treasury as follows:                                                        

                                                                                

11      (a) Net proceeds allocable to the nonconventional fuel credit               

                                                                                

12  contained in section 29 of the internal revenue code,  of 1986              

                                                                                

13  26 USC 29, under this subsection shall be credited to the                   

                                                                                

14  environmental protection fund created in section 503a.                      

                                                                                

15      (b) Proceeds related to the production of oil or gas from                   

                                                                                

16  devonian or antrim shale shall be credited to the natural                   

                                                                                

17  resources trust fund or other applicable fund as provided by                

                                                                                

18  law.                                                                        

                                                                                

19      (7)  (5)  As used in subsection  (4)  (6):                                  

                                                                                

20      (a) "Natural resources trust fund" means the Michigan natural               

                                                                                

21  resources trust fund established in section 35 of article IX of             

                                                                                

22  the state constitution of 1963 and provided for in section 1902.            

                                                                                

23      (b) "Net proceeds" means the total receipts received from the               

                                                                                

24  sale of royalty interests under subsection  (4)  (6) less costs             

                                                                                

25  related to the sale.  Costs may include, but are not limited to,            

                                                                                

26  legal, financial advisory, geological or reserve studies, and               

                                                                                

27  accounting services.                                                        


                                                                                

1       (8)  (6)  As used in this section:                                          

                                                                                

2       (a) "Concession" means an agreement between the department                  

                                                                                

3   and a person under terms and conditions as specified by the                 

                                                                                

4   department to provide services or recreational opportunities for            

                                                                                

5   public use.                                                                 

                                                                                

6       (b) "Lease" means a conveyance by the department to a person                

                                                                                

7   of a portion of the state's interest in land under specific terms           

                                                                                

8   and for valuable consideration, thereby granting to the lessee              

                                                                                

9   the possession of that portion conveyed during the period                   

                                                                                

10  stipulated.                                                                 

                                                                                

11      Sec. 1907.  (1) The board shall determine which lands and                   

                                                                                

12  rights in land within the state should be acquired and which                

                                                                                

13  public recreation facilities should be developed with money from            

                                                                                

14  the trust fund.  and  The board shall prepare, annually review,             

                                                                                

15  and, if advisable, update a long-term spending plan for money               

                                                                                

16  from the trust fund.  Before the board determines which lands or            

                                                                                

17  rights in land should be acquired with money from the trust fund,           

                                                                                

18  the board shall consider the long-term spending plan and shall              

                                                                                

19  prepare, in consultation with the department of management and              

                                                                                

20  budget, and consider a written analysis of all of the following:            

                                                                                

21      (a) The long-term costs of maintaining each of the lands or                 

                                                                                

22  rights in land, including, but not limited to, payments under               

                                                                                

23  part 21.                                                                    

                                                                                

24      (b) The state's ability to pay costs identified under                       

                                                                                

25  subdivision (a).                                                            

                                                                                

26      (c) A justification for acquiring each of the lands in light                

                                                                                

27  of the long-term spending plan and the written analysis's                   


                                                                                

1   conclusions under subdivisions (a) and (b).                                 

                                                                                

2       (2) The board shall submit to the legislature in January of                 

                                                                                

3   each year a list of those lands and rights in land and those                

                                                                                

4   public recreation facilities that the board has determined should           

                                                                                

5   be acquired or developed with trust fund money, compiled in order           

                                                                                

6   of priority.   (2)  This list shall be accompanied by estimates             

                                                                                

7   of total costs for the proposed acquisitions and developments and           

                                                                                

8   long-term costs of maintenance of proposed acquisitions.                    

                                                                                

9       (3) The board shall supply with each list a statement of the                

                                                                                

10  guidelines used in listing and assigning the priority of these              

                                                                                

11  proposed acquisitions and developments and the long-term plan and           

                                                                                

12  written analysis under subsection (1).                                      

                                                                                

13      (4) The legislature shall approve by law the lands and rights               

                                                                                

14  in land and the public recreation facilities to be acquired or              

                                                                                

15  developed each year with money from the trust fund.