Dear neighbors, We can’t see groundwater, but it’s an important part of our ecosystem and a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. In honor of World Water Day, I’ve spent some time today thinking about steps we can take to help preserve Minnesota’s groundwater and drinking water sources, as well as our lakes, rivers, and streams. You can find more information at worldwaterday.org.  Investing in Environmental Projects I presented a bill that would fund 73 critical projects to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee today. It appropriates more than $70 million from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund to support these projects, with an additional $132,000 to help the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources prepare contracts and $250,000 for the Emerging Issues Account, which is used when unexpected and urgent needs arise. A list of all the appropriations is available here. The LCCMR reviews environmental projects every year and usually recommends some of them to the legislature. The group didn’t provide recommendations for 2023, however, because some of the proposals didn’t receive the required super majority of 12 votes. To address this problem, I introduced a bill that contains funding for the most popular environmental projects that the LCCMR considered, those that received a 60 or higher on the group’s internal scoring system. I hope it will receive bipartisan support in the Legislature so these important projects can move forward. If you’d like to learn more about this bill, you can watch today’s public hearing here. New Case of CWD Found in Grand Rapids The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently found a wild deer that was infected with chronic wasting disease in Grand Rapids, the heart of deer country. This is the first time CWD has been found in a wild deer in this permit area. The DNR is taking steps to determine if other wild deer in the area have been infected. This finding highlighted the need for more sampling statewide. The DNR is exploring several options, such as allowing hunters to use a self-mailing kit for free testing, expanding the taxidermist network, and upgrading self-service stations. While doing more sampling will help track the spread of CWD, we also need to do more to prevent wild deer from contracting the disease in the first place. I’m supporting several bills that would help, including: - HF 4126, which would stop the Board of Animal Health from approving new registrations for the possession of farmed white-tailed deer. This bill also makes owners of deer farms responsible for disposing of animals that test positive for CWD and any costs associated with the escape of a deer with CWD.
- HF 2814, which would require live-testing all of the farmed white-tailed deer in Minnesota for CWD and transfer oversight of deer farms to the DNR.
Community Events and Activities Thank you to Dakota County for hosting a Fix-It Clinic in South St. Paul! I took a dolly in to be fixed on Saturday, and the volunteers there were a great help. The repairs and lessons they provided will help me and other Minnesotans save money and keep items out of our landfills.  If you come across any broken or damaged items during your spring cleaning, set them aside for the next Fix-It Clinic! Locations vary, but Dakota County holds these events once a month. You can find a list of upcoming Fix-It Clinics here. If you have any questions or feedback you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me by email at rep.rick.hansen@gmail.com or call (651) 296-6828. Sincerely, Rick Hansen
State Representative |