Natural Resources Committee

1008 § 7 Study the impact of wind energy development on the environment, addressing and researching issues common to North Dakota landowners, and identifying potential issues for legislation. The study may include consideration of the impact of wind energy development on the environment, including aesthetic impacts; the impact of wind energy development on property values; the impact of wind energy development on agriculture; the advantages and disadvantages of implementing legislation for pooling or unitization of wind resources similar to that of the oil and gas industry in NDCC Chapter 38‑08; and the necessary processes for the decommissioning of a wind energy project.

2156 § 4 Study, in consultation with the Geological Division of the Department of Mineral Resources and the Environmental Health Section of the State Department of Health, whether state and local level regulation of high-level radioactive waste disposal is consistent with applicable federal regulations; how to ensure the state has proper input into the federal location selection process for high-level radioactive waste material deposits; the mechanisms for calling a special session to approve the depositing of high-level radioactive waste material in the state and the notice of disapproval requirements under federal law; special laws, local laws, and existing code regarding the potential existence of a legislative veto over executive branch authority to determine the size, scope, and location of high-level radioactive waste material deposits in the state and any existing conflicts with the Commerce Clause; and the feasibility and desirability of developing new statutes and regulations for subsurface disposal of waste and the storage and retrieval of material

2286 § 4 Study cooperation and communication between the Public Service Commission and political subdivisions in regard to ensuring local ordinances and zoning provisions are considered and addressed as part of the application and public hearing process. The study must include examination of the impacts on relationships between landowners and the oil and gas industry; impacts on the efficiency of the siting process, including timelines associated with notification and permitting; impacts on the public input process; and impacts on compliance with, and enforcement of, political subdivision zoning ordinances.

Receive a report from the Energy and Environmental Research Center by September 30, 2018, regarding the results and recommendations of the pipeline leak detection study (2017 House Bill No. 1347, § 3)