Critical Area rulemaking repeal moving again
Last week, House Republicans agreed to accept a provision to repeal rulemaking authority for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area, reviving the bill that had appeared stalled for some time. Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hastings), Chairman of the House Environment Committee had been assuring FMR for weeks that he would not hear the bill in his committee and he would not accept the Senate repeal language in the Conference Committee that he co-chairs. Unfortunately, for reasons that are not entirely clear, McNamara changed his mind and agreed to insert the repeal language into the Conference Report which is the bill that joins House and Senate positions on the Ominbus Environment Budget Bill.
In testimony to the Conference Committee on Friday, a DNR representative informed the Committee that Governor Dayton opposes the repeal and wants to extend the DNRs authority to implement the rules which have been developed by the DNR over the past two years under authority that passed and was signed by Governor Pawlenty in 2009. That message was also delivered in a letter from the DNR to the Conference Committee Chairs on Monday of this week. Thus far the DNR has spent more than $350,000 of an appropriation from the Legacy Fund to research and develop the draft rules. At the time of this writing, the legislative situation is extremely fluid with negotiations between the Legislators and Governor Daytons administration over budget and policy items.
Finally, two respected Minnesota leaders and statesmen, one a Republican and the other a Democrat published a joint opinion piece in Tuesdays Star Tribune urging the Legislature to resist, and for Gov. Mark Dayton to veto, any bills that would repeal or suspend the DNR's ability to complete and adopt new rules for the Mississippi River Critical Area. Read the full article by Walter Mondale and David Durenberger.
For more information:
- Read FMR's Mississippi River Critical Area Repeal overview
- Contact FMRs River Corridor Program Director Irene Jones at 651-222-2193 ext. 11
- Read or listen to MPRs story on the repeal bill, featuring FMR Executive Director Whitney Clark.