Conference committee offers second crack at wild rice water quality bill

An effort to replace Minnesota’s long-standing wild rice water quality sulfate standard may get a second chance, following a conference committee agreement on the final day of the legislative session.

Conferees on HF3422, a bill relating to gizzard shad cast netting, approved a conference committee report Sunday that would transform the legislation into a bill that aims to replace the state’s 45-year-old rice water quality sulfate standard with new water quality rule.

Gov. Mark Dayton already vetoed HF3280, a bill with the same goal, earlier this month.

The conferees, however, think the new language stands a better chance of earning the governor’s signature.

“Usually when everyone leaves the table feeling like they didn’t get what they wanted, my grandpa always told me, it’s a pretty good sign of a good deal,” said Rep. Jason Metsa (DFL-Virginia).

The bill contains no language that would strictly nullify the current rule, unlike previous bills, but it carries provisions that limit the Pollution Control Agency’s ability to implement the current standard.

Those limitations would be lifted once the PCA amends rules refining the wild rice water quality standard to consider all independent research and publicly funded research, a provision that would likely require the agency to replace the current standard.

In addition to cutting the more controversial parts of the previous bill, the conference committee expanded a provision to establish a wild rice work group. The group would submit a report that would propose restoration activities to improve natural wild rice health. It would also evaluate the impact of sulfate and sulfur compounds on wild rice.

The work group was expanded by the conference committee to include governor-appointed members from tribal governments, the University of Minnesota, an environmental nongovernmental organization and two independent experts. The Legislature would appoint representatives from the mining industry, a municipal discharger, an electrical utility, a non-Minnesota university and two more independent experts.

“We’re trying to bring in a more holistic approach to deal with wild rice,” said Rep. Dale Lueck (R-Aitkin). “It’s just not about sulfate, it’s a broader thing.”

The conference committee did not include legislative findings in the bill, which was one of the sticking points in the previous version.

The Legislature has until midnight Sunday to adopt the conference committee report.