2017 May MLR Legislative Update
Hi,
Join or Renew Your Membership in MLR
What happens in St. Paul does impact you on the dock.
Late Monday night the Minnesota Legislature cut off negotiations with Governor Dayton. Tuesday they voted on their respective floors and have sent the Environment Conference Committee report, along with many others, to Governor Dayton for his signature or veto.
Many of these bills contain provisions that Governor Dayton has stated publicly will draw his veto, including the Environment Conference Committee report.
If the Legislature and the Governor do not reach a compromise position before the end of the session on May 22nd, less than two weeks away, then there may well be a special session, and even a government shutdown.
MLR has advocated for some measures that are included in this contested legislation:
The Environment bill creates 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.
The Environment Bill contains ongoing mitigation of starry stonewort on Lake Koronis.
The Environment Bill also includes some funding for the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, (MAISRC).
Unfortunately the Environment Conference Committee report does not increase the AIS surcharge on boater registrations. Without this funding the DNR AIS budget will go into the red, and programs will be lost. There will be no funding available to restore local AIS grants. The Invasive Species account has a structural deficit going forward, and the cuts will get worse over time.
There are other concerning measures in the Environment Bill:
Requires permitting of ground water pumping, even when such pumping threatens calcareous fens, a rare and highly sensitive wetland that are dependent on a constant supply of cold, oxygen-poor groundwater rich in calcium and magnesium bicarbonates. Calcareous fens are one of the rarest natural communities in the United States.
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 for the MN DNR.
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 broad concerns regarding the legislation:
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 ever more infested lakes in Minnesota and more species of concern advancing towards our doorstep. Now is the time to step up AIS efforts, not hobble them.
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 the Environment Conference Committee report, 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.
Act Now and Send Governor Dayton an email sharing your thoughts about the Environmental Bill currently before him.
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.”
Together, we CAN and will make a difference.
Best to you, and thank you for your labors towards lake and river protection.
Jeff Forester
[email protected]
Edit: If your interested in the boiler plate messages, send a PM to me with your email address and I’ll forward to email in whole to you. BK
