February and March have been busy months for the Water and Wetlands Stewards. Steward Mark Strand testified before the Minnesota Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee requesting amendments to SF553, a bill requiring boating safety education and operator permitting. Those amendments would require educating boaters about the environmental impact of certain boating activities. They would reduce the influence of the boating industry on the boating education curriculum. Mark also submitted written testimony with a similar intent regarding the House companion bill HF949.
Steve Ring, the team chair, submitted testimony to the Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee in support of HF2126, a bill that defines microplastics and nanoplastics and appropriates money for the development and implementation of testing protocols for these pollutants. The Senate companion bill is SF2245.
At their February meeting the Stewards discussed ideas for improving equity in their work. They plan to identify affected communities, contact and talk with people affected, educate, and develop working relationships with organizations that share their goals.
The proposed Niagara Bottling Plant in Elko New Market is expected to extract over 300 million gallons of water from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer every year. More than 400 people petitioned the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) for an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW). However, the EQB determined that an EAW is not needed, although the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources must still consider an amended permit for the plant.