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State Representative John Persell
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5516
For more information contact: Jessica Nyman 651-296-8877
Column/LTE
Responsible Natural Resource Management Means Doing it Right
Christians would be very angry if someone put a Bible on the floor and stomped on it. That was in essence what the Republican majority did to the Native Tribes with a provision in the Omnibus Environment, Energy and Natural Resources finance bill passed on a strict party-line vote.
With no notice to the public or to the Tribes, Republicans on the committee put language into the bill that creates an arbitrary standard which threatens the state’s remaining wild rice stands, one of Minnesota’s greatest natural resource treasures. An amendment later made it somewhat less onerous, but the fundamental problem remains.
As a vehicle for this misguided presumption, Republicans buried the language in the bill that appropriates money for all of the state’s natural resources and energy agencies. This maneuver seems to be an attempt to force the Governor to approve an offensive and unnecessary scheme to drastically weaken current water quality standards.
This story goes back several years to when Minnesota governmental agencies, mining interests and environmental organizations recognized that an old water-quality rule designed to protect wild rice stands needed updating and was possibly more stringent than necessary. This rule established the maximum amount of sulfates that can be present in water that supports wild rice. Tribal governments began studying the issue, as did the state and the mining industry. Understanding the urgency for reviewing this sulfate standard based on the best science available, the Governor asked for $1.5 million in his budget for the necessary study and in an effort to agree on the sound science necessary to finish the research, bring the Tribal Governments and other parties together. The Governor also directed relevant State agencies to begin communications and outreach on this matter weeks ago.
But the Republican majority couldn’t wait for the process that assures a real opportunity for the public to get involved; they couldn’t wait to develop good information that would give any new rule a solid scientific base. Instead, by “legislating science" they chose to ignore the long-term interests of everyone, including the mining industry, which might find itself tied up in court for years because of this misguided legislation.
We are proud to represent the many Native and non-Native constituents in our respective Districts. To be sure, mining on the Minnesota Iron Range is not our most attractive asset but our State and Nation have found it necessary, and beneficial, to use these natural resources. We want mining interests to have a fair process in which to participate and succeed, while mining the metals that we need for modern life and to create jobs in an area that has a chronic and dire unemployment problem. But to do so without protecting our natural resources helps no one. It will not help our constituents, not the wild rice stands sacred to Native culture, not the Boundary Waters Wilderness, and not the waters that we depend on for our very life and livelihood. Though this issue originated in the Northeastern part of the state, in reality it is a statewide issue. All the more reason that it must be done right.
So let’s do it right. Let’s not allow a reckless majority to play games and shortcut a process that has been working. Their approach so far leaves out both clean water and sound science. It leaves out Minnesota citizens. It invites lawsuits that will only slow the progress that we have made so far. And, it shows great disrespect to those who believe that natural resource stewardship means more than reading the Good Book and going to Church on Sunday. For good stewards of our resources, every day is Sunday.
State Representative John Persell, District 4A
State Representative Bill Hilty, District 8A
News Items
- Rep. Persell: We Must Come Together to Help Citizens, Businesses Affected by Disaster - (Posted: 2012-08-16 00:00:00)
- Rep. Persell: Today’s Hearing an Important First Step - (Posted: 2012-08-07 00:00:00)
- Rep. Persell: Omnibus Tax Bill Exemplifies Irresponsible Budgeting - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
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