Critical Area reform bill passes State Senate committee

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by Irene Jones

View of Spring Lake from Schaar's Bluff, near Hastings.

FMR has been leading the effort to amend the law governing the Mississippi River Critical Area, a protected corridor that extends from Dayton to Hastings. A bill in the Minnesota Legislature would update the law and formalize it as statute. Originally established by Executive Order, the 30-year-old law can be vague, difficult to interpret, and cumbersome to enforce. Many stakeholders had input into the direction and language of the bill, which maintains the critical area framework and directs the DNR to conduct state rulemaking.

In the Senate, the bill passed the Environmental Policy Committee by unanimous vote last month. The bill is up for a hearing in the Senate State and Local Government Committee this week and will then move on to the Senate Environmental Finance Committee. The bill will have its first hearing in the House Environmental Policy Committee on March 24 at 4:30 p.m. and will follow a path similar to the Senates.

You can track the status of the bill as it progresses through the Minnesota House (HF 424) and Senate (SF 671).

For a comprehensive look at the Mississippi River Critical Area reform bill, including a map of the corridor, stakeholder participation, key supporters of the bill, actions you can take, and history/background about the law, visit our online fact sheet.

For additional information, please contact Irene Jones, FMR's River Corridor Program Director at 651-222-2193 x11 or via our contact form.