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Senate committee backs bill to require scuba certification for lake-weed removal work
Summary
The Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on March 20 recommended passage of Senate File 1346, the “Brady Oney and Joseph Anderson Safety Act,” which would require scuba certification, new equipment and permit-related worker-safety requirements for commercial aquatic plant removal when the work is classified as making improvements to land.
Senate File 1346, the "Brady Oney and Joseph Anderson Safety Act," was recommended to pass by the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on March 20 after sponsor Senator Bolden said the bill responds to two recent drownings involving commercial aquatic-plant removal.
The bill would require people who use scuba gear while performing work that constitutes making improvements to land — including commercial lake aquatic plant removal — to hold scuba certification, carry specified safety equipment and comply with added worker-safety conditions in Department of Natural Resources (DNR) permits. It would also require the DNR to provide information to companies doing this work and allow the agency to revoke permitting privileges for companies that accrue one or more willful violations.
Senator Bolden, sponsor of Senate File 1346, said the bill was prompted by two fatal drownings. "This bill…
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