Recommendations 



Flood Hazard Prevention Act of 2000 



This proposal would set minimum standards for development in floodplains and 

 authorize local governments to adopt ordinances to regulate development in flood hazard 

 areas. Effective January 1, 2001, the proposal would make implementation of an 

 ordinance consistent with minimum Statewide standards for floodplain development a 

 condition of a local government's eligibility for State disaster relief and State grants and 

 loans for infrastructure. This provision would also make a building that receives a 

 variance from the minimum elevation requirements of a flood hazard ordinance ineligible 

 for State disaster assistance for losses from flooding. The proposed Statewide standards 

 for floodplain development would: 



• Require that the lowest habitable floor of any structure be elevated two feet above the 

 1 OO-year floodplam. 



• Forbid the location of salvage yards, chemical storage facilities, and other uses 

 involving large quantities of hazardous materials of solid waste disposal m the 100- 

 year floodplain. 



Except as otherwise noted, the proposal would become effective when it becomes law. 



Nonhazardous Dry-Cleaning Technology Incentive 



This proposal would provide a new tax credit as an incentive for investing in dry-cleaning 

 and wet-cleaning equipment that does not use hazardous substances as solvents. The tax 

 credit could equal 35% of the cost of the equipment. The proposal would be effective for 

 taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2001 . 



Petroleum Discharge Amends - 1 



This proposal would exempt sites contaminated by leaking petroleum underground 

 storage tanks (USTs) from the land-use restrictions and deed recordation requirements 

 imposed by SL 1999-198 on all contaminated sites remediated to risk-based, rather than 

 pristine, standards. The proposal would also direct the Environmental Review 

 Commission to continue studying issues related to the application of land-use restrictions 

 to sites contaminated by USTs that are remediated to risk-based standards. The 

 exemption would apply retroactively to October 1, 1999 and would expire September 1, 

 2001 . The study provision would become effective when the proposal becomes law. 



Petroleum Discharges/ De Minimis Reports 



This proposal would exempt a release of petroleum to the environment from current 

 reporting requirements if the release meets all of the following conditions: 



• The release is less than 25 gallons. 



• The release is cleaned up in less than 24 hours. 



• The release does not cause a sheen on surface water. 



• The release does not occur within 1 00 feet of surface waters. 



The proposal would become effective when the it becomes law and would apply to 

 petroleum releases that occur on or after that date. 



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