Earlier this afternoon Sen. Justin Eichorn delivered testimony in Virginia, Minnesota at a public hearing hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency regarding their proposed changes to the state’s sulfate water quality standards.

The senator was joined by local members of the community, Senate District 5, and many others from northern region of the state as they all came together to voice their strong opposition to MPCA’s proposed rules.  

You can read his full statement below: 

“Thank you for allowing me to testify today. My name is Justin Eichorn, and I am the Minnesota State Senator for Senate District 5. I represent Minnesotans from Cass, Beltrami, Hubbard, and Itasca Counties.

I share the concerns of many of my constituents about this proposed standard, and the impact it will have on our community, and this state as a whole.

I love living here in Northern Minnesota. I value our strong mining heritage and our beautiful lakes, rivers, and forests, so do the people I represent. We have a history of taking care of our natural resources, and being good stewards for future generations. I know we can have both mining and clean water. No one who lives here wants it any other way.

Unfortunately this proposed standard puts that in jeopardy. It has an error rate of up to 20%. We don’t budget with a plus or minus 20% error rate, and we shouldn’t use it as a water quality standard.

Additionally, there is no proof that this standard would do anything to increase the amount of wild rice in Minnesota.

While we don’t have a good idea what this standard will actually do to protect wild rice, we do know that the associated costs will put the economic future of our communities in jeopardy.

In other communities that have implemented reverse osmosis systems, there has been an increase $160 a month on the average water bill. I am here to tell you that my constituents, the hard working people of northern Minnesota, should not have to pay an additional $2000 a year so that Minneapolis environmentalists can feel good about themselves when they buy a bag of wild rice from Whole Foods.

I am here to speak for the miners, the people that work in tourism and forestry industries, and the average everyday workers of Beltrami, Cass, Hubbard, and Itasca counties. I am asking the PCA to reconsider this horrible proposal. If they do not, I will do everything in my power as a legislator to make sure that this bad science never goes into effect.”

Thank you,

Senator Justin Eichorn