St. Paul, MN—The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) introduced a proposed Administrative Penalty Order (APO) last week that would fine farmers out of compliance with Minnesota's riparian buffer law by up to $500 per linear foot, which could result in thousands of dollars in fines annually for farmers who are even a few feet out of compliance across their entire property.
“The Dayton Administration is again showing it’s no friend to farmers, choosing to push excessive and overreaching one-size-fits-all policies, instead of partnering with our strong agriculture community in Minnesota,” said Rep. Duane Quam, R-Byron. “There is a short public comment period on these proposed penalties, and I would highly encourage you to let BWSR and the Dayton Administration know this proposal is oppressive and simply unacceptable. We all share the goal of clean waters and protecting our environment, but once again state agencies are out of touch and doing more harm than good. We should stand together against the Dayton Administration's latest aggression against Minnesota's farmers. Together, working as partners on the same team, we can achieve better results in a more timely manner.”
The public comment period lasts until 4:30 PM on Monday, April 16, 2018, and comments can be submitted by email to buffers.bwsr@state.mn.us, or by U.S. Mail at the following address:
Tom Gile
Buffers and Soil Loss Operations Supervisor
Board of Soil and Water Resources
3555 9th Street NW, Suite 350
Rochester, MN 55901
The House Agriculture Policy Committee will hold a hearing on the proposed penalties on Thursday, April 12 at 10:15 AM in Room 5 of the State Office Building in St. Paul (100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155).
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