| For Immediate Release | or more information contact: |
| March 19, 2002 | Jeff Bakken (651-297- 5600) |
ST. PAUL Minnesotans want cleaner, healthier water, and legislation passed by the Minnesota Legislature authored by State Representative Chris Gerlach (R-Apple Valley) will help make that possible.
Gerlach is the chief author of innovative legislation designed to give citizens the tools they need to participate in taking care of Minnesota's lakes, streams and drinking water. The legislation allows the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) to train citizens and local governments to collect and test the water quality in their own local communities.
"This is common-sense legislation that helps the environment and has no cost to taxpayers, so it won't add to the state's budget deficit," said Gerlach. "We know that Minnesotans are hard- working people who value the natural resources of this great state, so I believe citizens will jump at the chance to make sure that the water we drink, swim, and fish in is safe."
Gerlach said that the PCA is eager to help enact his legislation, which has now passed both the House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law soon by Governor Ventura. In addition to training citizens to monitor water quality, the PCA will make sure that the hard work of concerned Minnesotans matches the requirements needed to obtain environmental clean-up program dollars from the federal government, said Gerlach.
Gerlach's legislation is a primary policy initiative of Protect Our Water, an organization dedicated to conserving Minnesota's water resources for future generations. The Minnesota Environmental Partnership, a coalition of more than 75 nonprofit conservation and environmental groups representing more than 500,000 Minnesota households, also supports the legislation.
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