(a) There is established an account to be known as the “Connecticut Lakes and Ponds Preservation account”. The Connecticut Lakes and Ponds Preservation account shall be a separate, nonlapsing account of the General Fund. Any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account shall be deposited in and credited to the Connecticut Lakes and Ponds Preservation account. The account shall be available to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for (1) restoration and rehabilitation of lakes and ponds in the state; (2) programs of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the eradication of aquatic invasive species and cyanobacteria blooms; (3) education and public outreach programs to enhance the public's understanding of the need to protect and preserve the state's lakes and ponds; (4) allocation of grants to state and municipal agencies and not-for-profit organizations to conduct research and to provide public education and public awareness to enhance understanding and management of the natural resources of the state's lakes and ponds; (5) provision of funds for all services that support the protection and conservation of the state's lakes and ponds; and (6) reimbursement of the Department of Motor Vehicles for the cost of producing, issuing, renewing and replacing Save Our Lakes commemorative number plates, including administrative expenses, pursuant to section 14-21z.

(b) The commissioner may receive private donations to the Connecticut Lakes and Ponds Preservation account and any such receipts shall be deposited in the account.

(c) The commissioner may provide for the reproduction and marketing of the Save Our Lakes commemorative number plate image for use on clothing, recreational equipment, posters, mementoes, or other products or programs deemed by the commissioner to be suitable as a means of supporting the Connecticut Lakes and Ponds Preservation account. Any funds received by the commissioner from such marketing shall be deposited in the Connecticut Lakes and Ponds Preservation account.

(P.A. 18-101, S. 2.)