Saint Paul, Minnesota – Tonight, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Finance Bill. State Representatives John Ward (DFL – Baxter) and Joe Radinovich (DFL – Crosby) voted in favor of the legislation.
The bill takes serious steps to prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS). Invasive aquatics, including such species as Asian Carp and zebra mussels have been discovered in more than 1,000 lakes and rivers around Minnesota. They can damage the state’s water-based recreation and tourism economy, affect water quality and navigation, destroy fish habitats, drive out important native species, and impede beach access.
The bill contains over $13 million in funding for public awareness, assessment, monitoring, research and inspections designed to prevent the spread of invasive species. It also includes just over $3 million for enforcement activities. Part of the money will be used to update an AIS violation tracking system.
“This bill is an investment in our tourism industry, which is incredibly important throughout Greater Minnesota, especially for the people in our area,” Rep. Ward said. “We are committed to protecting tourism and the good-paying jobs it helps create for the people living in our district.”
“This is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, this is a Minnesota issue,” said Rep. Radinovich. “Preventing the spread of these invasive species is essential to protect our lakes, streams, and rivers. This bill helps preserve our waterways and natural resources for our future generations.”
The bill also strengthens the Department of Natural Resources’ ability to monitor groundwater and surface water supplies so we have the data necessary to address shortages occurring across Minnesota.
“We have to begin tackling this problem now,” said Rep. Ward. “Ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away would be a disaster that would hurt our quality of life and our economy. We have to ensure that our state has clean water and sufficient water supply.”
In order to pay for better water monitoring capabilities, this bill includes a modest fee increase on heavy users of water. If cities pass the costs on to residential users, an individual water bill would go up about $1-$2. The modest fees would raise about $6 million to monitor ground and surface water to help address water shortages in the future.
Finally, the bill invests an additional $1.7 million in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), which goes further than Governor Dayton’s budget proposal. It includes $450,000 for food inspections to help prevent food-borne illnesses so our workforce stays healthy and productive.
The bill contains more than $20 million in funding for the Agriculture Growth, Research and Innovation program (AGRI) which strengthens local economies in rural Minnesota by expanding the Farm-to-School program, providing state grants for the start up, transition, and expansion of family farm livestock operations, assisting with the start-up of any farm, and exploring development of renewable forms of energy.
Minnesota’s agriculture industry is 5th in total agricultural cash receipts and the 6th largest agricultural exporting state with a record-high of $6.8 billion in total agricultural exports—a 13% increase over 2010. Minnesota’s agricultural exports generated a total of $8.7 billion in total economic activities and supported more than 46,000 jobs in 2011.
“Our agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy,” said Rep. Radinovich. “We have to support our farmers and agriculture businesses and this bill does just that. We’re making critical investments and takes smart steps to bring a stronger economic future to Minnesota.”
Reps. Ward and Radinovich encourage constituents to contact them with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Ward can be reached by phone at 651-296-4333 or by email at rep.john.ward@house.mn. Rep. Radinovich can be reach by phone at 651-296-2365 or email at rep.joe.radinovich@house.mn.