Why lawmakers want to fundamentally change how the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency does business

If there were a contest to name the least popular state department at this year’s legislative session, there’s little doubt which would win: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Over the years, the agency has often found itself in the middle of passionate disputes between environmental groups and business in its capacity as the state agency charged with setting and enforcing clean air and water standards.

Read more at MinnPost.

Road salt use gets weighed against saving money, environment

Joe’s Lawn and Snow service uses half as much salt as it used to. The University of Minnesota cut its salt use by 41 percent, and the city of Waconia by a whopping 70 percent — all without sacrificing safety for drivers and pedestrians.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

DNR’s Landwehr to locals on groundwater: ‘You figure it out.’

Some 200 local officials, government staff members, business representatives, metro area residents and legislators showed up Wednesday night in Shoreview to see and hear the state Department of Natural Resources kick off its groundwater management area for the north and east metro area.

What happens to all the salt we dump on the roads?

As much of the country endures the heavy snowfall and bitter cold that has marked the start of 2014, municipalities in 26 states will rely on a crucial tool in cleaning their roads: salt. . . But all that salt has to go somewhere. After it dissolves - and is split into sodium and chloride ions - it gets carried away via a runoff and deposited into both surface waters (streams, lakes and rivers) and the groundwater under our feet.

MNG 49's satisfying revision process

The February 2012 issue of the ARM print newsletter focuses on the MNG49 water quality permit and how all interested parties came together. Here's the newsletter with that feature article.

Attempts to block EPA fast-track of water rule fail

Senate Democratic leaders blocked an attempt by Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., to introduce an amendment to the energy and water "minibus"appropriations bill to stop the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from fast-tracking a rule to expand federal jurisdiction to all areas where water flows in the United States.

Read more in Pit & Quarry.

U.S. House passes clean water bill protecting state permitting authority

According to an update from Pit & Quarry, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011. It prevents the EPA from vetoing permits years after issuance by providing clear protections for states' EPA-approved standards and permitting authority under the Clean Water Act.

NSSGA worked closely with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members on this legislation and said it would continue efforts to move the bill through the legislative process.

NSSGA will offer a webinar update about the Clean Water Act on July 26 from 2-3:30 EST. Register here.

Rice University-led researchers create 'coated sand'

Researchers at Rice University have created 'coated sand' using nanomaterials to enhance plain sand for filtering and enhance properties for water purification.

Read more in the Houston Business Journal.

Opinion: Rep Bachmann's St. Croix freeway earmark bill would burden taxpayers, harm river heritage

Rep. Michele Bachmann introduced a bill today that would burden taxpayers with an unnecessarily costly bridge while damaging one of our country's national river treasures. Rep. Bachmann's bill would create a loophole that strips the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway of its Wild and Scenic River protections, allowing the immense, freeway-style bridge project to proceed and setting a dangerous precedent for other federally protected Wild and Scenic rivers nationwide.

American Rivers named the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway one of America’s Most Endangered RiversTM in 2009.

Read more at American Rivers.

Retention pond considered at Minnesota West

Storm water flowing into Lake Okabena from the northwest may soon be carrying less sediment if Minnesota West Community and Technical College receives funding approval for construction of a storm water retention pond on the Worthington campus.

Jeff Harms, facilities director for the college, has been working for nearly six years on a concept for a pond to capture water from the Worthington campus, contain it to allow for the sediment to settle and then discharge it into the lake.

Read more in the Worthington Daily Globe.

Meeting with new DNR commissioner

ARM member Dave Edmunds and I met yesterday with the new DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr and Larry Kramka, Assistant Commissioner and Lands & Minerals Division Director on March 14 following the retirement reception for Marti Vadis, outgoing Division Director of the Lands & Minerals Division. The meeting reviewed the ongoing partnership that the aggregate industry has had with the Land & Minerals Division and the aggregate mapping program, water appropriations and the potential impact of the Legacy program on aggregate reserves in Minnesota.

On Thursday, ARM members will have the opportunity to go into more details about our concerns with Assistant Commissioner Kranka.

Central Minnesotans encouraged to be heard about water clean-up efforts

Sauk River Watershed District officials seek citizen input about two projects being funded with taxpayer dollars.

Citizens who live and work within central Minnesota's Sauk River Watershed District (SWRD) are encouraged to make their voices heard on two environmental protection efforts that use a combined $754,000 in mostly taxpayer dollars.

Read more in the Alexandria Echo Press.