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Committee hears that ANR removed municipal salt-shed mandate from chloride bill; members discuss funding priority for vulnerable towns
Summary
Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) proposed removing a requirement to cover municipal salt sheds from the pending chloride bill and instead propose funding options and municipal training; committee members debated whether to prioritize funding for sheds near surface waters and whether the Transportation Committee should take the bill.
Committee members discussed proposed changes to S.29 (the chloride bill) after committee staff said the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) asked to remove a statutory requirement that municipalities cover salt storage sheds. The change would leave no statewide mandate to cover municipal salt sheds; instead ANR would identify funding options municipalities could use if they choose to cover sheds.
Why it matters: Covering salt and de-icing material storage is aimed at reducing chloride runoff that can harm waterways. Committee members said the removal of a mandate reduces regulatory burden on municipalities but could leave smaller communities without resources to mitigate runoff unless funding is prioritized.
What was said: A staff member summarized recent conversations between the committee and the Natural Resources Committee. He said ANR proposed focusing the program on commercial applicators, removing municipal applicators from the requirement, and addressing municipal practices through training from AOT (Agency of Transportation) and ANR. "As part of ANR's request, they want to remove the requirement to cover salt sheds," the staff member said, adding that ANR proposed reporting and funding options rather than a mandate.
Committee members were split on whether the Transportation Committee should take the bill. One senator said the committee should not take the bill unless language requiring cover for sheds near surface waters were restored; another member suggested prioritizing any ANR grant or funding list for uncovered salt sheds located close to lakes or waterways. The record notes past draft deadlines that would have required coverage by 2030 or 2035 have been removed from the circulating draft.
Next steps: Committee staff said they will circulate the draft ANR language that Senator Lawson approved and asked members to review it before the committee meets again. Members asked ANR whether funding can be prioritized to help municipalities that want to cover sheds and requested a conversation on possible prioritization in ANR's grant guidance.
Ending: No action was taken. Committee members requested the circulated ANR draft and further information about available funding and prioritization before deciding whether to take the bill into the Transportation Committee.
