The DFL Environmental Caucus’s second legislative forum covered the Prove It First bill, which will assure Minnesota is not harmed by the proposed sulfide mining projects in our water-rich environment. We were joined by Friends of the Boundary Waters and State Sen. Jen McEwen, author of the bill in the Minnesota Senate, for an hour-long forum to discuss the bill and what you can do to help it pass the legislature this session.
From the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:
[The MPCA] today announced the purchase of new, state-of-the art technology to remove and destroy bulk concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water in the environment. This fall, the state will deploy the technology in the East Metro as part of the ongoing work to address PFAS contamination affecting the drinking water for roughly 174,000 residents. The system is paid for with funds from the 3M settlement.
The process works in two parts. The first technology, surface activated foam fractionation (SAFF), injects outdoor air into contaminated water, turning PFAS into foam that can be separated from the water. The foam is then removed, PFAS levels are significantly reduced, and the water is returned to the environment — both cleaner and safer. The PFAS concentrate then goes to the DEFLUORO unit, a second technology where the carbon-fluorine bonds (the backbone of PFAS chemicals) are broken through electrochemical oxidation. Both technologies are mobile and work without adding any chemicals back into the surface or groundwater.
“This pilot project marks the beginning of a new era for PFAS clean-up in Minnesota,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler. “This study will help us address PFAS contamination at the source and develop long-term solutions for cleaner water — ensuring safe drinking water for Minnesotans. We hope to eventually employ this technology around the state including in Greater Minnesota, where PFAS is a growing concern.”
With fewer than 20 systems in existence, the SAFF technology is in high demand across the globe for its innovative ability to separate PFAS from water safely and quickly. Minnesota is the first state government in the country to purchase and implement it. The SAFF unit will deploy at Tablyn Park in Lake Elmo for the first round of testing on groundwater and surface water. It will likely move to other testing locations over the next one to two years. The DEFLUORO unit will be staged at the former Washington County landfill location.
Australian-based OPEC Systems, Ltd. designed the SAFF technology. U.S.-based AECOM designed the DEFLUORO unit. The SAFF unit is in route to Minnesota from Australia and is scheduled to arrive next month.
State agencies are working with city and county representatives to ensure safe handling practices under applicable regulations. None of the water used in this temporary test is connected to the city’s drinking water, which remains safe and well within Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) drinking water guidelines for PFAS impacts.
“Lake Elmo has been ground zero for PFAS contamination for years,” said Lake Elmo City Council member Jeff Holtz. “The City of Lake Elmo is excited to partner with the MPCA on the pilot study. Tablyn Park offers a unique opportunity to test this PFAS destroying technology on both groundwater and surface water sources. We look forward to learning more about how it may improve our valuable natural resources.”
New information obtained during the pilot testing will help determine how and where to treat water in the East Metro. The MPCA, MDH and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have worked diligently to ensure safe drinking water for all East Metro communities, and this project is just one component of the greater strategy to effectively utilize funds from the 3M settlement to clean up PFAS.
This is a press release from the legislative office of Representative Rick Hansen Rick Hansen (52A)
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – With the 2022 Minnesota firearms deer hunting season approaching, concerns around the increasing spread of Chronic Wasting Disease among the state’s Cervidae population are mounting. DFL members of the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy committee are calling for immediate action on several measures to combat the disease.
“The Legislature must take immediate action to prevent the spread of CWD which is devastating our deer population. The health of our natural environment hinges on our ability to manage this crisis,” said Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South Saint Paul), Chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy committee. “Continued inaction will result in irrevocable harm to the white-tailed deer population, and the implication of the potential spread of CWD prions to human populations is cause for great concern.”
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects cervids, including white-tailed deer. The lawmakers are proposing strong measures to combat CWD including an immediate moratorium on deer farms, and a requirement for closure and exclusion plans for deer farms. Deer farms have consistently proven to be hotbeds for CWD and are central to the state’s efforts to combat the disease. They are also promoting expanded funding for hunter-harvested carcass disposal, implementation of hunter service centers instead of surgical kits, and to continue prion research funding.
“In a matter of days, my family and I will join a half-million other Minnesotans when we take part in the deer opener. CWD continues to threaten this cherished tradition and serious action from the Legislature is long overdue,” said Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls). “We have solutions before us that tackle CWD from several different directions, and I hope my Republican colleagues can join us to protect our state’s deer population.”
During the 2021 legislative session, the Minnesota House’s Environment and Natural Resources Finance bill included a series of provisions authored by Rep. Ecklund including additional requirements for deer farms, a live-testing requirement for farmed deer, a prohibition on the importation of farmed deer from other states with CWD, and a ban on new registrations for the possession of farmed white-tailed deer. The bill also would have transferred oversight of farmed deer from the Board of Animal Health to the Department of Natural Resources. The Republican-controlled Senate refused to consider the measures.
The representatives are also proposing expanded deer monitoring for PFAS, and neonicotinoids in deer to track and understand additional factors which impact the health of the deer population.
“Minnesota has a strong tradition of hunting and if we are to continue to pass this tradition on to future generations we must take action to prevent and eliminate CWD,” said Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL – Roseville), lead author of legislation to limit deer farming operations. “As a hunter, the continued inaction from our Republican colleagues has been incredibly frustrating. I urge them to join us in our efforts to fight CWD so we can protect Minnesota’s hunting heritage.”
To learn more about CWD and what actions they can take to prevent its spread, hunters can visit the Minnesota DNR’s CWD web page.
The years long battle to protect wild rice or “Mahnomen” in the state of Minnesota secured a significant boost this week from the federal government. The Environmental Protection agency (EPA) announced that erroneous laws which attempted to restrict the MPCA from including effluent limits on sulfate levels hindered the MPCA from properly issuing permits under the Clean Water Act. NPDES permits from the MPCA must now consider these impacts on waters that contain wild rice stands. This is an important victory in the herculean effort to protect Minnesota’s wild rice and water quality.
This issue has arisen out of the controversies surrounding the Minnesota mining industry which has been skirting regulations that are in place and attempting to undermine bedrock environmental protections that have been a cornerstone of Minnesota’s permitting process since the early 70s.
What’s the deal with wild rice?
Wild rice is an important staple for indigenous nations and their culture throughout the state. Indigenous groups have been harvesting this crop for thousands of years as the semi aquatic grain grows in abundance along the shallow banks of lakes and rivers. Known as the food that grows on water, wild rice provides food and industry for tribal and nontribal Minnesotan’s willing to put in the work to harvest or farm its verdant resource. Actually, a grass and not a species of rice, wild rice grows in the United States and Canada with a historic stronghold in Minnesota. Its seeds are used in a variety of Minnesota delicacies like wild rice soups, pancakes, salads, and other foods that people in Minnesota and beyond can enjoy. Minnesotans love wild rice so much that it was made the official state grain in 1977. But this intrinsic resource has been under a relentless siege.
Though popular and abundant, wild rice has faced a number of challenges in the past few years. The impacts of climate change, invasive species, and heavy metals pollution from industrial mining projects over the past century have left wild rice beds shadows of their historic record. Stands of wild rice are particularly vulnerable to excessive levels of sulfate compounds leaching into the sediments where its seeds germinate and grow. Minnesota’s Sulfate Standard which was adopted in 1973 to regulate sulfate discharges from industrial projects limits sulfate to 10 MG/L. That standard has been under fire for over a decade by mining lobbyists and even the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
Several legislative attempts to rollback, limit, and outright eliminate water quality standards regarding sulfates have been attempted since 2010. The main goal of these aggressive actions by industries responsible for the discharge of excess sulfates into surrounding aquifers was to recklessly kick open the door for foreign copper nickel sulfide mining conglomerates with globally recognized environmental and labor rights abuses. Essentially, agencies like the DNR and MPCA were complicit in and actively promoted a broken regulatory process. These agencies were also covering up the abuses of the taconite industry which had been operating virtually without Minnesota DNR and MPCA oversight and with indignant impunity towards the very ecosystems and downstream communities they had been harming for decades.
It may have taken seven years of litigation and activism but the EPA has essentially told the MPCA to do its respective duty and to follow the law. With this most recent ruling by the EPA, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency must return to the regulatory table to properly be the stewards of wild rice in Minnesota. The victory in this case cannot be understated. Protecting one of Minnesota’s iconic treasures and natural wonders for so many is critical for a sustainable future. The MPCA must enforce the Minnesota Sulfate Standard to preserve wild rice for future generations to enjoy.
Right now, Minnesota has a golden opportunity to lead an agricultural revolution that will serve both people and planet. Just as all our waters flow outward across North America, our adoption of new, environmentally beneficial crops and farming techniques can flow outward into the rest of the world. We can all enjoy the benefits of healthy food, clean water, wildlife habitat, and climate-friendly land use that strengthens our resilience as long as we act now.
At the University of Minnesota, scientists at the Forever Green Initiative are developing a new generation of crops that deliver these environmental benefits and profits for farmers; crops that can be used for food, clean fuel, and sustainable bioplastics. At the same time, farmers, companies, and institutions are working to pave the way for markets and supply chains for these crops. With support from the state at this critical time, they can move forward to bring these crops into the mainstream and turn the tide for Minnesota farmland.
Will you take a moment to ask your Legislators to invest in these efforts?
At a moment when Minnesota’s budget is in great shape, two bipartisan bills at the Legislature would invest in these efforts to support next generation crops:
Thanks to DFLEC and MAP‘s Matt Doll for putting this together!
“The Progress of the State of Minnesota” is a quadriga, a type of sculpture involving four horses, a chariot, and one or more individuals, meant to symbolize grandiose or highly significant concepts or people. This one was made by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter, and was finished and installed in 1906. It is made of steel and copper, with gold leaf.
The symbolism in 1906 is now somewhat outdated, and here we offer a new interpretation that closely uses the original concepts.
The chariot is being drawn by four horses, representing the four major non-fossil fuel types of energy we hope to use as our only sources by 2050: geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro-power. The two women represent American-based highly efficient zero-carbon industry and business (the woman on the left), and renewable, regenerative, and forever green agriculture (the woman on the right). The man in the chariot stands in for the state of Minnesota, and he carries a cornucopia, which represents our society of wealth and privilege, which the legislature, courts, and Governor carefully curate and put to use to make all Minnesotans equal parts in a broad based, humanitarian, society lacking want and uncertainty. He is non binary.
There is a new study out from Cornell concerning bald eagles and lead. The short version: Hunters kill land mammals using lead shot, field dress the prey, and the remains are scavenged by bears, badgers, and everybody else including Bald Eagles. The study by Brenda Hanley and others, published in Wildlife Management, links the lead shot ingested by scavenging eagles to stunted growth. Stunted, the eagles’ physiological buffer against disease or periods of food stress is reduced.
This lead poisoning of wildlife by hunters’ activity probably applies to all of the scavengers of lead ammo using hunters’ waste, but in this study, only eagles were addressed.
Krysten Schuler, one of the study’s authors, says, “Hopefully, this report will add information that compels hunters, as conservationists, to think about their ammunition choices. Even though the population seems like it’s recovered, some perturbation could come along that could cause eagles to decline again.”
A press release from Cornell is here, and the original study is here.
Lead is a poison at any level, and we continue to put it in our environment, affecting other animals, as well as humans. If you think this should be addressed, please bring this resolution to your precinct caucuses in order to give us (lead free) ammunition to help compel our legislators to address lead. If you are reading this after February 1st, 2022, you can still contact your legislators in the Minnesota House and Senate and encourage them to get the lead out!
(The rest of our 2022 resolutions are here.)
There are two things you can do right now to help protect some of Minnesota’s waters from copper sulfide mining.
A change to these laws could ban sulfide mining in the Rainy River Headwaters. A 30-day public comment period is open until December 8, 2021! Tell the DNR that our laws do not adequately protect our waters.
Comment directly to the DNR. Here is suggested text for a comment.
Department of Natural Resources,
The current restrictions on nonferrous mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) are not adequate to protect the BWCAW from pollution, impairment, or destruction. I strongly urge your department to extend further restrictions on mining to all of the Rainy River Headwaters.
The risks from non-ferrous mining are vastly different from the traditional iron mining in Minnesota. Non-ferrous mining is the process of extracting trace amounts of copper, nickel and other metals from sulfide-bearing ores. This process produces sulfuric acid, which is the same as battery acid. In addition to acidifying lakes and rivers, sulfuric acid leaches out heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and other toxins from the rock to produce acid mine drainage (AMD). Sulfate discharge to very freshwaters, such as those found in northern Minnesota, also unleashes a cascade of damaging ecosystem effects. This type of mining is so problematic that there has never been a sulfide mine anywhere in the world that did not contaminate surrounding water sources. The extreme threat to the Wilderness from this type of mining was confirmed by a 2016 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) study that found that the risks associated with the proposed Twin Metals mine were so great that USFS denied the project’s permit application based on the best available scientific evidence.
Additionally, as water does not follow lines on a map set by humans, these restrictions on mining must be extended to the entire Rainy River watershed. What happens upstream, happens downstream and the risk of catastrophic pollution failure or chemical leaching from a nonferrous mine upstream of the BWCAW, like the proposed Twin Metals Mine, is far too great to be allowed on the edge of the pristine natural resources of the BWCAW. The environmental danger posed by non-ferrous mining in the Rainy River watershed is even more acute because it exposes the singularly beautiful and pristine, but very fragile, BWCAW and adjacent areas to the threat of irreversible environmental harm caused by AMD and sulfate pollution.
The federal and state government’s intent to protect the BWCAW for its unique wilderness characteristics was the essential motivation behind the protections the BWCAW currently receives as a federal Wilderness Area. To ensure the Wilderness remains free from pollution as originally intended, the watersheds that flow through the BWCAW must also remain free from pollution. Protection must be extended to the Rainy River Headwaters watershed by prohibiting non-ferrous metallic mineral mining in these areas.
The Biden Administration recently announced that the US Forest Service submitted a mineral withdrawal application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which would provide for a 20-year moratorium on copper-sulfide mining on 225,000 acres of federal land in the Rainy River Watershed. The 2-year environmental study began immediately with the announcement, and a 90-day comment period is underway until January 18, 2020!
You can comment through Friends of the Boundary Waters website, or submit your own unique comments to the BLM.
To learn more about the Tamarack mine, a newly emerging issue of concern, click here.