Concerns over Roseau Lake project bog down Legacy finance bill

Lawmakers have generally supported projects vetted by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. But questions about one project are sufficient to stall a bill that would appropriate millions of dollars to restore, protect and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests and habitat for fish, game and wildlife.

With no Republican support, HF3879 did not get the needed votes from the House Legacy Finance Committee. As amended, the bill would appropriate $191.1 million from the Outdoor Heritage Fund for projects recommended by the council.

Among the recommendations is $3.5 million for a Roseau Lake rehabilitation effort that has received funding in the past but is opposed by nearby landowners.

Rep. Joe McDonald (R-Delano) cannot support the bill with that funding attached. “We’d be remiss if we didn’t pause and listen to farmers worried about their land, whether they are right or not,” he said.

Sponsored by Rep. Samantha Vang (DFL–Brooklyn Center), the bill would execute council recommendations, as well as make policy changes to organizations connected to the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

“These dollars we put in are powerful — an investment we will see many years to come,” Vang said.

Rouseau Lake project
Nearly all comments for and against the bill focused on Phase 3 of the Roseau Lake Rehabilitation project that’s the subject of litigation. The committee heard extensive testimony Wednesday and April 8.

Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R–Nisswa) unsuccessfully offered an amendment to remove the project’s funding from the bill.

The multi-purpose water management project combines natural resource enhancements with flood damage reduction components that aim to reduce flood peaks for adjacent land and that downstream from the project.

Several landowners say the project improperly impinges on private land, possibly flooding thousands of acres of productive farmland. They worry about losing their ability to use the land themselves or pass it on to their children.

However, many organizations and government entities connected to the Red River Basin support the project that began more than 10 years ago and is 75% complete. They say it has been thoroughly vetted and provides multiple benefits such as approximately 22,000 acre-feet of water storage and habitat, reduced flood flows to Canada, and improved water quality for downstream neighbors.

[MORE: Read written testimony]

Outdoor Heritage Fund
The Outdoor Heritage Fund receives 33% of the proceeds arising from a 2008 constitutional amendment passed by voters that raised the state sales tax by 0.375%. The Legacy Amendment also allocates 33% of revenue raised to the Clean Water Fund; 19.75% to the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund; and 14.25% for the Parks and Trails Fund.

The bill heard Wednesday was limited to the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which is administered by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. The council’s recommendations include:

• $82.4 million for habitats, including protection and restoration of the Shell Rock River, St. Croix River, Mississippi headwaters, Bone Lake, and Little Cannon River;
• $36.9 million for forests, with a significant portion designated for the DNR’s Northern Forests Legacy project;
• $36.4 million for prairies, including projects in Martin County and the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge;
• $33.2 million for wetlands; and
• $2.2 million for administration.

[MORE: View the spreadsheet]

The Department of Natural Resources and the Board of Water and Soil Resources manage grants that go to various governmental and non-governmental organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, The Nature Conservancy, Friends of the Mississippi River, and the Red Lake Watershed District.

Policy changes
Policy provisions would modify the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, including having the chair serve two years instead of one and listing recommended projects by regional district instead of priority. The bill would also extend the availability of several previous appropriations.

Council makeup
Rep. John Burkel (R-Badger) unsuccessfully offered an amendment to limit membership on the Outdoor Heritage Council to eight years for public members, who serve four-year terms, and another to establish an interview panel of two legislators from different parties, one public member, and nonpartisan staff to interview candidates.