(a) On or before January 1 of each even-numbered year, the governor shall transmit to the energy and environment and natural resources committees of the legislature a concise, comprehensive written report on the energy and environmental strategy of the state.

(b) The report must be sufficiently comprehensive to assist the legislature in allocating funds to support all of the policies, plans, and programs of the state related to energy and the environment, and specifically must include:

(1) a concise, comprehensive discussion of state, and, as applicable, national and global energy and environmental problems, including but not limited to: indoor and outdoor air pollution, water pollution, atmospheric changes, stratospheric ozone depletion, damage to terrestrial systems, deforestation, regulation of pesticides and toxic substances, solid and hazardous waste management, ecosystem protection (wetlands, estuaries, groundwater, Lake Superior and the inland lakes and rivers), population growth, preservation of animal and plant species, soil erosion, and matters relating to the availability and conservation of crude oil and of refined petroleum product and other energy sources;

(2) a concise, comprehensive description and assessment of the policies and programs of all departments and agencies of the state responsible for issues listed in clause (1), including a concise discussion of the long-term objectives of such policies and programs; existing and proposed funding levels; the impact of each policy and program on pollution prevention, emergency preparedness and response, risk assessment, land management, technology transfer, and matters relating to the availability and conservation of crude oil and of refined petroleum product and other energy sources; and the impact of each on relations with the other states, the federal government, membership in national organizations, and funding of programs for state environmental protection and energy issues;

(3) a concise description and assessment of the integration and coordination of policies, plans, environmental programs, and energy programs of the state with the policies and programs of the federal government, the environmental and energy policies and programs of the other states, and the environmental and energy policies and programs of major state and national nonprofit conservation organizations;

(4) a concise description and assessment of all efforts by the state to integrate effectively its energy and environmental strategy with:

(i) the science and technology strategy of the federal government, including objectives, priorities, timing, funding details, and expected results of all environmental and energy research and development supported by the federal government and of all efforts at regional, national, and international cooperation on environmental and energy research and development;

(ii) the national energy policies of the federal government, including objectives, priorities, timing, funding details, and expected results of all efforts supported by the federal government aimed at reducing energy demand, improving energy efficiency and conservation, fuel-switching, using safe nuclear power reactors, employing clean coal technology, promoting renewable energy sources, promoting research and possible use of alternative fuels, promoting biomass research, promoting energy research and development in general, and advancing regional, national, and international energy cooperation;

(iii) the national environmental education strategy of the federal government, including objectives, priorities, timing, funding details, and expected results of all domestic and international education efforts supported by the United States to improve both public participation and awareness of the need for environmental protection;

(iv) the technology transfer strategy of the federal government, including objectives, priorities, timing, funding details, and expected results of all domestic and international environmental and energy technology transfer efforts to foster collaboration and cooperation between federal agencies and state and local governments, universities, nonprofit conservation organizations, and private industry in order to improve the competitiveness of the state and the nation in the world marketplace and promote environmental and energy technology advancement; and

(v) the national security strategy of the federal government, including objectives, priorities, timing, funding, and expected results of the national security programs to be most compatible with requirements for environmental preservation and a national energy policy, while accomplishing missions essential to national security;

(5) a concise assessment of the overall effectiveness of the energy and environmental strategy of the state, including a concise description of the organizational processes used to provide a body of energy and environmental information and to evaluate the results of energy and environmental programs; the use of statistical methods; the degree to which the strategy is long term, comprehensive, integrated, flexible, and oriented toward achieving broad consensus in the state, the nation, and abroad; and recommendations on the ways in which the legislature can assist the governor in making the strategy more effective;

(6) specific two-year, five-year and, as appropriate, longer-term goals for the implementation of the energy and environmental strategy of the state; and

(7) such other pertinent information as may be necessary to provide information to the legislature on matters relating to the overall energy and environmental strategy of the state and to develop state programs coordinated with those formulated on a national and international level.

History: 1991 c 303 s 6