Thursday, July 7, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573) 751-0290
Blunt Signs Local Government Bills
Legislation Reinforces Governor’s Commitment to Renewable Fuels
JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Matt Blunt today signed bills regarding local government that, among other things, extend the Missouri Qualified Ethanol Producer Incentive Fund, reinstate the waste tire fee and create the Missouri Downtown Revitalization Preservation Program.
"The bills I signed today directly impact Missourians as they live, work and do business," Blunt said. "Improvements to biodiesel and ethanol laws will benefit Missouri’s farm families and our state’s economy; local government provisions will give Missouri’s communities the tools they need to succeed; and environmental waste fees will help keep Missouri’s lakes, streams, rivers and soil clean and safe."
Bills the governor signed today include Senate Bill 355, which focuses on two of Blunt’s legislative goals: supporting our agriculture industry and establishing Missouri as a leader in renewable fuels. The bill extends the Missouri Qualified Ethanol Producer Incentive Fund from its current sunset in 2007 to 2015, giving Missouri farm families added confidence to invest in renewable fuels. This bill also allows funding for the Biodiesel Incentive Fund to be derived from General Revenue, helping to ensure Missouri production plants are competitive with surrounding states’ facilities.
Blunt has called for a 10 percent ethanol standard in Missouri, reiterating his commitment to positioning Missouri as a national competitor in ethanol production and utilization. He is also the first Missouri Governor to include full funding for the ethanol incentive fund in his budget to the General Assembly.
Senate Bill 355 also allows levee and drainage districts five years after the lapse of their corporate charter to reinstate and establishes the Missouri Wine and Grape Board. Sen. John Griesheimer sponsored the bill.
Blunt also signed the following bills related to local government.
House Bill 58 and Senate Bill 210, sponsored by the chairs of the House and Senate Local Government Committees, Rep. Robert Johnson and Sen. John Griesheimer, enact provisions to improve existing local government legislation and enact meaningful laws affecting political subdivisions. The bills include the local option economic development sales tax and the Missouri Downtown Revitalization Preservation Program, a program for small and mid-sized cities that compliments the existing Missouri Downtown Economic Stimulus Act.
Senate Bill 225, sponsored by Sen. John Cauthorn, reinstates a 50 cent waste tire fee and extends the sunset on the Drycleaner Environmental Response Trust Fund. Provisions will ensure the Department of Natural Resources will have the resources to maintain environmental services at an appropriate level.
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