On Wednesday, Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria) chaired a joint hearing between the Senate’s Agriculture Finance Committee and Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee addressing Governor Dayton’s Administration’s new excessive buffer penalties.

This past week, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) introduced a proposed Administrative Penalty Order (APO) that would fine farmers out of compliance with Minnesota’s riparian buffer law by up to $500 per linear foot. The new APO would significantly exceed agreements reached between lawmakers and the administration this past session, resulting in thousands of dollars in fines annually for farmers who are even a few feet out of compliance across their entire property.

“The proposed Administrative Penalty Order raises some serious question marks about the management of the Board of Water and Soil Resources as well as the direction of the Governor’s Administration,” said Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen, Chair of the Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee. “It’s quite concerning hear that the Governor has indicated that this proposed APO was created by the Board of Water and Soil Resources without his oversight or any input from his administration. To see this level of disregard and chaos from within the administration’s bureaucracy on any issue would be quite troubling, but to see it happen on an issue of this scale raises the serious concern of negligence. I hope that Governor Dayton and the BWSR will consult on this issue, review our state statutes, and listen to the public to bring the administration into line and install an amended APO that works with our agriculture community rather than against it.”

In their initial release of the proposed Administrative Penalty Order, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources established a public comment period lasting until 4:30 PM on Monday, April 16, 2018. Senator Ingebrigtsen encourages all residents to make their voices heard during this short window, asking for comments to be submitted by email to buffers.bwsr@state.mn.us, or by U.S. Mail at the following address:

Tom Gile
Buffers and Soil Loss Operations Supervisor
Board of Soil and Water Resources
3555 9th Street NW, Suite 350
Rochester, MN 55901