Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates protects Minnesota’s lake and river heritage for current and future generations by forging powerful links among lakes, lake advocates and policy makers.
House and Senate Conference Committees Named –
Send your legislator an email asking them to work to protect funding for AIS and to increase transparency and input by citizens in water decision making.
Greetings,
MLR is YOUR VOICE in St. Paul.
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The Minnesota House and Senate Conference Committee on the Omnibus Environment bill have begun their deliberations. The Conference Committee members will combine the House and Senate Environment Omnibus Bills into one bill that will go to Governor Dayton.
The bills are long and there are some significant differences between them. Our goal is to support the measures that will help improve lake heritage and oppose those measures that would not be good for lakes.
First, there are some good measures that we should support:
Both House and Senate positions create a pilot project for Gull Lake marina owners as they attempt to manage watercraft with AIS. The hope is that this pilot will make the management of water related equipment both more efficient and secure.
A Senate provision accelerating water quality goals 25% by 2025.
Both supply funding for ongoing mitigation of starry stonewort on Lake Koronis.
The Senate seeks funding for the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, (MAISRC) by appropriating funding directly from the general fund.
Unfortunately, neither the House or Senate increase the AIS surcharge on boater registrations. While the House bill does not cut funding to the MN DNR, without an increase, there will not be funding available to restore local AIS grants. The Invasive Species account has a structural deficit going forward.
The Senate bill cuts $1 million each year from DNR EcoWaters activity. This will severely hamper AIS efforts. We prefer the House position.
There are other concerning measures in the two Omnibus Bills that should be addressed before going to Governor Dayton:
Doubles the size of feedlots before triggering a full environmental review and public comment from 1,000 animal units to 2,000 units.
Fails to increase hunting or fishing license fees – without an increase many outdoor management activities will need to be reduced or curtailed, including fish stocking programs.
Repeals the authority of the Environmental Quality Board to appoint special task forces and citizen committees.
Delays implementation and scope of the Buffer Laws passed last year.
Reduces rule-making capacity.
Reduces funding and capacity of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Watershed Districts, all of which will impact water programs and efforts.
MLR has four major concerns regarding the legislation currently under debate.
Funding levels are not high enough to meet the needs.
There is a great deal of energy around AIS efforts at the local level. The MN Legislature could leverage this energy by restoring the DNR grant programs. There are more infested lakes in Minnesota, and more species of concern spreading inside the state and others advancing towards our doorstep. Now is the time to step up AIS efforts.
Lake associations are doing wonderful work to protect the public’s waters and should have a seat at the table where policy decisions are being made that impact local water resources. Language in both House and Senate bills, along with funding decisions, will make the process less transparent and less open to lake home and cabin owners, and local lake associations.
There is a need to increase the efficiency and efficacy of AIS programs by increasing fines, providing for mandatory centralized inspection/decontamination services, and creating a watercraft operator’s permit that includes training for AIS – none of these needs is addressed by the current bills.
Minnesotans of both political parties value water. Both recognize that Democracy begins at the local level and that local engagement in efforts to protect and restore water resources should be increased, not diminished. All recognize that local citizens need to have a seat at the table if we are to be successful at protecting water for future generations.
Act Now and Send Legislators and Governor Dayton an email sharing your thoughts about the Environmental Omnibus Bills.
Some boilerplate language has been provided, but please personalize the message, using your own words and with your own experiences. Thank you for all you do to protect a simple Minnesota heritage – time spent at the lake with family and friends at “the lake.”
Act Now
As always, please keep in touch,
Jeff Forester, Executive Director MLR
952-854-1317
