Minnesota Statutes 115B.172 – Natural Resources Damages Account
Subdivision 1.Establishment.
The natural resources damages account is established as an account in the remediation fund.
Subd. 2.Revenues.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 115B.172
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Minority: means with respect to an individual the period of time during which the individual is a minor. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 115B.172
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Minority: means with respect to an individual the period of time during which the individual is a minor. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
The account consists of money from the following sources:
(1) revenue from actions taken to recover natural resources damages under section 115B.17, subdivision 7, or any other law, unless otherwise specified in the settlement agreement;
(2) appropriations and transfers to the account as provided by law;
(3) interest earned on the account; and
(4) money received by the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency or the commissioner of natural resources for deposit in the account in the form of a gift or grant.
Subd. 3.Expenditures.
(a) Money in the account is appropriated to the commissioner of natural resources for the purposes authorized in section 115B.20, subdivision 2, clause (4).
(b) The commissioner of management and budget must allocate the amounts available in any biennium to the commissioner of natural resources for the purposes of this section based upon work plans submitted by the commissioner of natural resources and may adjust those allocations if revised work plans are submitted. Copies of the work plans must be submitted to the chairs of the house of representatives and senate committees and divisions having jurisdiction over environment and natural resources finance.
Subd. 4.Report.
By November 1 each year, the commissioner of natural resources must submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate committees and divisions with jurisdiction over environment and natural resources policy and finance on expenditures from the natural resources damages account during the previous fiscal year.