The STORMWATER Act extends the funding period for stormwater control infrastructure technology centers from fiscal years 2022-2026 to 2027-2031. It mandates that exactly five of these centers be established, rather than a range of three to five as previously allowed. Additionally, the bill requires that one of the designated centers be located in and focused on the Great Lakes region.
The Southern Nevada Wastewater Infrastructure Lands Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer approximately 257 acres of federal land in Clark County, Nevada, to the Clark County Water Reclamation District. This transfer is intended to support the construction and operation of critical wastewater infrastructure for public use. The district must pay all administrative costs associated with the land transfer, including surveys, and the land will revert to federal ownership if it stops being used for these public purposes.
Pennsylvania House Bill 2741 amends the state's Cave Protection Act to introduce a new penalty option for individuals convicted of violating cave-related laws. The bill allows courts to require offenders to perform community service by picking up litter or illegally dumped trash in addition to any other penalties imposed. This provision directly affects people found guilty of damaging or improperly accessing caves, aiming to address environmental harm through direct cleanup efforts.
This bill amends New York's environmental conservation law to classify all waste containing source, byproduct, or special nuclear material as hazardous waste. The legislation removes a previous legal exclusion that had kept certain radioactive materials from being treated as hazardous waste under state regulations. This change directly affects entities responsible for managing and disposing of radioactive waste within the state, requiring them to comply with stricter hazardous waste handling standards. However, the bill includes a provision stating that this classification does not apply where federal law preempts the regulation or cleanup of such materials.
HB 6247 establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework in Michigan for the geologic storage of carbon dioxide, requiring operators to obtain permits from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy that align with federal standards. The bill authorizes the leasing of state-owned lands and pore space for these projects, while permitting specific surface activities on commercial forestland and wilderness areas under strict conditions to protect natural resources. It creates a unitization process to manage shared subsurface interests among multiple property owners and mandates long-term monitoring of storage sites for at least 50 years after injection ceases. Upon successful completion and verification of site safety, the state assumes ownership and liability for the stored carbon dioxide, releasing the original operator from future regulatory responsibilities.
Michigan House Bill 6251 requires developers and operators of large-scale data centers to submit a detailed energy infrastructure and thermal management evaluation to the state public service commission before beginning construction, expansion, or major modifications. A facility is considered large-scale if it has an aggregate critical information technology load of at least 25 megawatts or a total electrical demand of at least 50 megawatts, including phased developments that collectively meet these thresholds. The evaluation must be prepared by a qualified professional and include specific data on anticipated power usage, cooling systems, water consumption, and potential impacts on local infrastructure, with copies required to be filed with affected local governments and electric providers. Developers must pay a review fee and face civil fines of up to $10,000 per day for violations, while the commission is granted authority to issue certificates of completeness that expire after 24 months unless updated or extended.
Michigan House Bill 6264, titled the "data center energy standards act," requires owners and operators of data centers in the state to source 100% of their annual energy use from clean or renewable sources by January 1, 2040. The bill allows facilities to meet this requirement through on-site generation, power purchase agreements, or other energy instruments approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission. Violations of these standards are subject to civil fines of up to $10,000 per day, which must be deposited into the state's general fund. This legislation only takes effect if seven companion bills from the 103rd Legislature are also enacted into law.
This Michigan bill requires electric providers to offer a voluntary green pricing program that allows customers to choose how much of their electricity comes from renewable sources. It mandates that regulated utilities create a specific "clean technologies accelerator tariff" for commercial and industrial participants, ensuring these businesses directly pay for the renewable energy they procure rather than spreading those costs across all ratepayers. The legislation also protects customers who source at least half of their power through the program from paying certain compliance surcharges and requires providers to notify other participants about additional fees. The bill only takes effect if seven related companion bills are also enacted into law.
Michigan's HB 6265 requires owners and operators of data centers to submit annual reports to the state public service commission detailing their total water and electricity consumption, along with the sources of that water and the percentage of electricity derived from renewable energy. These reporting obligations begin on March 1, 2028, and if the commission finds a submitted report inaccurate or incomplete, it must notify the operator to file corrected information within 30 days. The bill authorizes civil fines of up to $10,000 for each day a violation continues, with collected penalties deposited into the state general fund. This legislation only takes effect if several other specific bills from the current legislative session are also enacted into law.
Michigan House Bill 6231 creates a dedicated Camp Grayling Improvement Fund within the state treasury to finance upgrades, maintenance, and environmental remediation at the military training center. The fund is financed by facility revenue generated from leasing, licensing, and operating the camp, as well as gifts and grants, with all unspent money rolling over to future years rather than lapsing. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is granted broad authority to collect these fees, enter into leases and contracts for goods and services, and manage projects subject to specific procurement rules and federal cooperative agreements. To ensure transparency, the department must submit an annual report detailing fund deposits, expenditures, and project status to state legislative leaders and post it on their website. The bill also clarifies that these activities are considered governmental functions under Michigan law, preserving existing sovereign immunity protections while leaving public access rights on adjacent state forest lands unchanged.
