5.10. SR 05-08-1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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h ate Utcs k n Y ^ ^ V~ ~= n . r. i . ~: k .. Localgovernmentscou1d Y w vel t merit under bill llo de op By.Dane Smith ~"~A,~ Staff Writer /. `~ •, _' '_'.:`'; Local governments would be given broad authority to n ~ ~ allow drainage or other development of privately owned 1 ~ ~'~ wetlands now protected by state law, under a bill ap- I , ~ ~J ,~.. proved Friday by the Minnesota Senate. ~ " ~ ~ ~; ~ 1 ~ i ; ! The action drew praise from the advocates: for recently 'organized landowners' groups in agricultural and rural ` ' LEGISLATURE Minnesota, who claim the that the 1991 law is too restrictive and costly. But it prompted protests from '1995 legislators who argued for retaining strong state environ- '' ~ ' 'mental protections of sensitive wetlands. House Minority "It means we no longer have a statewide .wetlands plan," ader Steve said Sen. Steven Morse, DFL-Dakota.. He said Minneso-' • ~viggum called tans should have learned from the 1993 floods that the fir bipartisan co- state's vast agricultural acreage needs to have more o~eration Friday, water-retaining wetlands. aday after angry ~ ,, Independent-Re-. Landowners claim. a significant `victory, said Dan Lar- '' publicans defeat-. son, a lobbyist," representing northern county govern- e~! a $2.5 billion merits, some of which refuse to adopt wetlands protec- ' ' t nsportation lions that the 1991 Wetlands Conservation Act requires. •+ b~ll. Capitol brief- `' ir~g, Page 2B. Wetlands continued on page 2B W~~'~~~5 Continued from page 1B Farmers 'and other landowners have places covered by standing water. complained bitterly about the current law, arguing that it prevents them Wetlands protection is a key "goal of from"altering or draining even tiny environmental groups, ..which argue parcels .classified as wetlands, some that it provides flood control and a of which are dry most of the year. natural habitat for wildlife. But all -_ : • parties agree that some fine-tuning of The "House has already passed a bill the law es in order. f that` ~is~ much more acceptable to ~ ' i environmentalists, because it simply The bill passed on a 46-20 vote, with increases the maximum amount that most `no' votes coming from Twin can le~drained or developed. Cities DFLers. IR and outstate legis- • lators from both parties combined to ~ Sen.:LeRoy Stumpf, DFL-Thief Riv- produce a solid majority. " er Fails, the author of the Senate bill, ', said'"lots of protections" will remain Gov. Arne Carlson, a moderate Inde- in the law under his proposal. While pendent-Republican who has held up i it gives local control to the status of the 1991 wetlands act as one of his • .mostly dry and marginal wetlands, proudest achievements, has suggest- ' Stumpf clams that it ~s actually more ed that he will veto revisions that go ~~ protective than other proposals of too far. obvious marshes and wetlands, I; ~. m D cNo m c c