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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL)

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STATEMENT: Rep. Hansen's Bill to Save Minnesota Ash Trees Gets Hearing in the House

Thursday, March 24, 2016

 

St. Paul, Minn.-Representative Rick Hansen presented HF 2408 the joint House Agriculture Policy and Agriculture Finance Committees last week. HF 2408 establishes an emerald ash borer (EAB) suppression program administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to combat the aggressive spread of EAB, a species of insects which kill ash trees across the state.

Rep. Hansen released the following statement:

“We need to take a broad look at the variety of tools to combat the invasiveness of emerald ash borer.  Taking serious prevention methods now will not only reduce costs of tree removal but increase the benefits of preserving our ash tree population in Minnesota.”

The program would include a matching grant component to provide financial assistance to local units of government for eligible EAB suppression activities. The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee would be required to advise MDA and MDA would be required to consider the Committee’s advice. The bill would fund the program at $13 million for 2017 and 2018 from an unspecified state fund. 

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