Committee advances Petro Fund measure to reimburse preventive underground‑piping replacements

The Minnesota House Ways and Means Committee on March 24 voted to move House File 3298 to the general register after testimony that the state’s Petro Fund should offer a preventive reimbursement for replacing high‑risk underground fuel‑piping systems.

Representative Mecklen introduced the bill, saying it would extend the Petro Fund assessment cycle and create a targeted reimbursement program. "Allow a targeted reimbursement of $4,000,000 per year for 10 years for proactively replacing high risk piping systems before release occurs," Mecklen said while explaining the bill’s intent to shift to prevention rather than reactive cleanup.

Dallas Fisher, representing a long‑standing trade association of fuel marketers, told the committee the Petro Fund has helped Minnesota respond quickly to releases and that a preventive option would protect groundwater and reduce long‑term costs. "The Minnesota Petro Fund is widely regarded as a gold standard in our country," Fisher said, calling the proposal "fiscally responsible" and noting that roughly 38 percent of retail fueling sites still use single‑walled pressurized steel piping that is corrosion‑prone.

Nonpartisan fiscal staff (Miss Ayer) told members the bill’s design means it would not affect the general fund: "There is no impact to the general fund," she said, explaining the federal fund automatically adjusts assessments when its balance hits a threshold.

Members asked technical and policy questions but generally voiced support for prevention over cleanup. Representative Mecklen and the chair framed the program as an investment that would save cleanup and emergency response costs over time.

The committee advanced the bill by voice vote. The bill now proceeds to the general register for floor consideration.