Critical Area not yet repealed; Gov. Dayton and DNR moving forward
While the bill to repeal rulemaking authority for the Mississippi River Critical Area passed both the House and Senate, Governor Dayton did not sign it into law. Tucked into the environmental budget bill, the Critical Area repeal was vetoed along with the rest of the budget.
FMR is not counting this as a victory just yet, however, because now the fate of Critical Area is tied up in the maze of budget negotiations that will become more intense as a possible government shutdown looms larger each day.
The good news is that Gov. Dayton and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who have publicly stated their opposition to the repeal, want to move ahead with completion of the new rules, much of which has already been done and paid for. FMR will be tracking the negotiations and encouraging Governor Dayton to remain firm about not allowing the repeal of the Critical Area authority to go through.
Thank you to everyone who signed the FMR petition and contacted their representatives to show their support for the Mississippi River Critical Area! As always, stay tuned for future news and calls to action.
In case you missed any of the blow-by-blow action on this harmful repeal bill during the legislative session FMR's monthly Mississippi Messages articles:
For background on the Mississippi River Critical Program and Rulemaking Process, see FMR's fact sheet.