Critical area rulemaking update

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public comment on the development of state rules for the Mississippi River Critical Area, a 72-mile corridor from Dayton to Hastings. The deadline for submitting comments is March 22nd, 4:30 p.m. There will be other opportunities to comment later in the process, but this first comment period provides stakeholders with the opportunity to offer their recommendations at the front end of the rulemaking process. (To review the official call for comments, visit the DNRs website.)

Later this month, the DNR will convene four geographically determined stakeholder advisory committees to provide input and review drafted rules. FMR staff have been appointed to all four groups: Northwest – Ramsey and Dayton to the Minneapolis border; Urban West – Minneapolis to Ft. Snelling; Urban East – St Paul, Mendota Heights and Lilydale; and Southeast – Maplewood and South St. Paul to Ravenna Township.

The DNR has also put together a preliminary map of all the bluffs in the corridor and is meeting with cities and other stakeholders to review the map and get feedback.

FMR will be closely monitoring the rulemaking process this year and providing periodic updates on our website for interested citizens and stakeholders. We are in the process of writing robust comments for the DNR and we will post these online as well. The DNR expects to have a draft rule available for public comment by the end of 2010. An administrative law judge will then preside over a formal hearing process in 2011.

For more information

• About the Mississippi River Critical Area and the 2009 legislation authorizing the rulemaking process, visit FMRs Mississippi River Critical Area fact sheet.
• The new critical area statute (Chapter 116G.15) is available online.