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Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance

THIRTY-FIRST MEETING

2013-2014 Regular Session - Tuesday, February 11, 2014

STATE OF MINNESOTA THIRTY-FIRST MEETING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-EIGHTH SESSION

COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT NATURAL RESOURCES AND AGRICULTURE FINANCE
Chair, Representative Jean Wagenius

MINUTES

Representative Wagenius, Chair of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Finance, called the meeting to order at Tuesday, Feb 11th, 2014 in Room 5 of the State Office Building.

The Committee Legislative Assistant noted the roll.

Members present:

Wagenius, Chair
Falk, Vice Chair
Anderson, P.
Benson, J.
Bly
Clark
Dill
Fabian
Freiberg
Hackbarth
Hamilton
Hansen
Kahn
Poppe
Torkelson
Ward, JoAnn


Members excused:
Erickson, R.
Kiel
McNamara

A quorum was present

Testifying before the Committee:

Jess Richards, Director, Division of Lands and Minerals - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Financial Assurance & PolyMet)

Steve Colvin, Assistant Director, Division of Ecological and Water resources - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Margaret Watkins, Water Quality Specialist - Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Financial Assurance and Perpetual Treatment)

Public Testimony:

Betsy Daub, Policy Director - Friends of the Boundary Waters (Graphs: Mine Site Version 5.0 Model Annual Average of Concentration Statistics [SO4 and Cu] in the Long-term WWTF Influent)

Paula Maccabee, Advocacy Director and Counsel - Water Legacy

Alan Thometz, Vice-Chair - Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (Polymet Mining Truth 1 and 2)

Kathryn Hoffman, Staff Attorney - Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

Scott Strand, Executive Director - Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

Becky Rom, Governing Council - Minnesotan’s for Wilderness

Steve Timmer, Attorney from Edina (PolyMet Financial Assurances Hearing)

Frank Ongaro, Executive Director - MiningMinnesota

Ron Sternal, Retired Wall Street Executive, Saint Louis Park

Harry Melander, President - Minnesota Building Trades

Luther Dale, Chair - Sierra Club North Star Chapter

John Gappa, Financial Expert (PolyMet Talking Points)

Laura Skaer, Executive Director - American Exploration & Mining Association

Tony Kwilas, Director of Environmental Policy - Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

David Barhan, Chemist

Jeff Koop, Resident of St. Michael

Bob Tammen, Soudan, MN

Lynn Grano, Minneapolis, MN

Representative Barb Yarusso

Brad Moore, Executive Vice President - PolyMet Mining Corporation.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:47.





_______________________________
Representative Jean Wagenius, Chair



_________________________________________
Nanette Moloney, Committee Legislative Assistant
More Info On This Meeting..
House TV Video:
View Archive

Financial assurance and PolyMet:.
05:50 - Gavel and introductory comments.
11:34 - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
2:09:55 - Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
2:39:41 - Public testimony on how best to structure financial assurance.
4:38:12 - Response from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
5:01:21 - PolyMet Mining Corporation.
Runs 5 hours, 13 minutes.


Financial Assurance and Polymet
This hearing will be limited to the question of how best to structure financial assurance. The specific questions to be answered at the hearing were developed by the nonpartisan House Research Department and are posted on the committee website.
Public testimony on financial assurance welcomed, but limited to five minutes. To testify contact: Mike.Molzahn@house.mn