On Wednesday, Senator Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids) joined the Senate’s Agriculture Finance Committee and Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee for a joint hearing to address Governor Dayton’s Administration’s new excessive buffer penalties.

This past week, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) introduced a proposed Administrative Penalty Order (APO) that would fine farmers out of compliance with Minnesota’s riparian buffer law by up to $500 per linear foot. The new APO would significantly exceed agreements reached between lawmakers and the administration this past session, resulting in thousands of dollars in fines annually for farmers who are even a few feet out of compliance across their entire property.

“Governor Dayton and his administration have been quick to back peddle on the BWSR’s crippling Administrative Penalty Order, citing it as an administrative oversight and a miscommunication between the Board of Water and Soil Resources and him,” said Senator Justin Eichorn. “The reality of the situation is that this is just another calculated attack from the administration targeting rural Minnesota and the people who call it home. As we’ve seen with the MPCA’s handling of the sulfate standard, Dayton’s Administration has a history of rushing orders without weighing citizens concerns or the rule’s overall impact on the region. This approach must change, and must happen soon, if our state is ever going to proudly say that we have a governor who cares for Minnesotans who live outside the metro.”

In their initial release of the proposed Administrative Penalty Order, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources established a public comment period lasting until 4:30 PM on Monday, April 16, 2018. Senator Eichorn encourages all residents to make their voices heard during this short window, asking for comments to 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