Koochiching County commissioners urge Gov. Mark Dayton to allow common sense to prevail over bureaucracy as Minnesota’s wetland rules undergo review.
County commissioners weighed in with their thoughts on Minnesota’s wetland rules, now under review, as ordered by Gov. Mark Dayton, by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.
BWSR is scheduled to complete recommendations by Dec. 12, when the BWSR Board will review them and possibly make changes.
Those final recommendations will be given to Dayton Dec. 15.
Commissioners agreed to send a letter to Dayton explaining why Koochiching County’s businesses and residents are concerned about the review.
Dale Olson, director of the county’s Environmental Services Department, provided details for the letter that will be signed by board Chairman Brian McBride. Olson said of Koochiching County’s more than 2 million acres, nearly 1.4 million acres, or 68 percent, are considered wetlands. The percent of presettlement wetlands in Koochiching County is estimated at 98 percent.
In addition, the letter tells Dayton that 1 percent of the wetlands in Koochiching County equals 14,000 acres
“If projects in the county continue to impact wetlands at the current rate of about 10 acres per year, it would take 1,400 years to impact 1 percent,” states the letter. “If the county impacted wetlands at 10 times the current rate — 100 acres per year — it would still take 140 years to impact just 1 percent of its wetlands. Nearly every development project in Koochiching County involves wetlands in one way or another. Avoidance is nearly impossible so mitigation is the only alternative.”
The letter continues that “it becomes obvious that Koochiching County will always have 98 percent or more of its presettlement wetlands. The declining population in the county has resulted in less development and less impact to wetlands. The county simply cannot afford to lose more business due to the high cost of replacing wetlands where there is already an overabundance.”
Commissioners also discussed their participation at 11 meetings held around the state intended to take comment from stakeholders during the review.
Commissioners Wade Pavleck and Mike Hanson, along with Olson, attended most of the meetings, and Pavleck said a list of preliminary recommendations include issues important to the county.
Commissioners voiced concern early on about the review, but Pavleck said it appears the governor truly wants to simplify the process required when wetlands are disturbed.
“In my view, when you look at the whole, it could not have gone better for us,” he said. “It appears they listened to us and did a good job with the report.”
Pavleck said Koochiching officials pushed for state and federal officials to consider public value of replacement wetlands versus a no-net loss of wetlands philosophy. Pavleck said wetland replacement — required in the same watershed when 10,000 square feet or more of wetland are disturbed by development — should be done where it benefits the state the most and that is in places where wetlands have already been drained.
Peat resources
Commissioners Tuesday also discussed the potential for developing sphagnum peat moss within property designated by the state as Scientific and Natural Areas.
Hanson told the board that a Canadian peat development company, that has customers regularly advertised on television, is seeking 1,200 to 2,000 acres of high quality peat. Hanson said the only places in Koochiching with that kind of resource are off limits because they are designated state SNAs.
Kurt Johnson, Natural Resources Research Institute, met with the board to discuss the peat resources available and told them that SNAs cannot be disturbed without legislative approval. Johnson assisted the county with the ongoing development of a peat harvesting operation near Big Falls by Berger Horticultural Peat Co. of Quebec.
The board said it would discuss with newly elected Sen. Tom Bakk and Rep. David Dill the idea that Koochiching could purchase or swap land for the SNA that offers the best potential for peat development.
“SNAs are sitting out there — a tremendous waste of resources when a company is looking,” said Commissioner Rob Ecklund. “We’ve got to figure out how to do this.”
Ecklund said that Dill will serve as the chairman of the House Environmental Policy Committee, which could be helpful.
Johnson said he didn’t want to be discouraging, but said the permitting process for peat development, even if the Legislature agreed to change the status of the SNA, is lengthy and there will be great opposition.
“It’s difficult to permit a site that’s not in a protected area,” he said. “I think doing this will be very difficult.”
