STATE OF MINNESOTA THIRTY-FIRST MEETING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-EIGHTH SESSION
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT NATURAL RESOURCES AND AGRICULTURE FINANCE
Chair, Representative Jean Wagenius
MINUTES
Representative Wagenius, Chair of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Finance, called the meeting to order at Tuesday, Feb 11th, 2014 in Room 5 of the State Office Building.
The Committee Legislative Assistant noted the roll.
Members present:
Wagenius, Chair
Falk, Vice Chair
Anderson, P.
Benson, J.
Bly
Clark
Dill
Fabian
Freiberg
Hackbarth
Hamilton
Hansen
Kahn
Poppe
Torkelson
Ward, JoAnn
Members excused:
Erickson, R.
Kiel
McNamara
A quorum was present
Testifying before the Committee:
Jess Richards, Director, Division of Lands and Minerals - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Financial Assurance & PolyMet)
Steve Colvin, Assistant Director, Division of Ecological and Water resources - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Margaret Watkins, Water Quality Specialist - Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Financial Assurance and Perpetual Treatment)
Public Testimony:
Betsy Daub, Policy Director - Friends of the Boundary Waters (Graphs: Mine Site Version 5.0 Model Annual Average of Concentration Statistics [SO4 and Cu] in the Long-term WWTF Influent)
Paula Maccabee, Advocacy Director and Counsel - Water Legacy
Alan Thometz, Vice-Chair - Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (Polymet Mining Truth 1 and 2)
Kathryn Hoffman, Staff Attorney - Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Scott Strand, Executive Director - Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Becky Rom, Governing Council - Minnesotan’s for Wilderness
Steve Timmer, Attorney from Edina (PolyMet Financial Assurances Hearing)
Frank Ongaro, Executive Director - MiningMinnesota
Ron Sternal, Retired Wall Street Executive, Saint Louis Park
Harry Melander, President - Minnesota Building Trades
Luther Dale, Chair - Sierra Club North Star Chapter
John Gappa, Financial Expert (PolyMet Talking Points)
Laura Skaer, Executive Director - American Exploration & Mining Association
Tony Kwilas, Director of Environmental Policy - Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
David Barhan, Chemist
Jeff Koop, Resident of St. Michael
Bob Tammen, Soudan, MN
Lynn Grano, Minneapolis, MN
Representative Barb Yarusso
Brad Moore, Executive Vice President - PolyMet Mining Corporation.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:47.
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Representative Jean Wagenius, Chair
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Nanette Moloney, Committee Legislative Assistant