By Johanna Rupprecht, Land Stewardship Project The process of environmental review for frac sand mine proposals in Winona County has been seriously flawed from the start. But there’s still time for citizens to get involved and push for an in-depth, comprehensive review—otherwise known as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)—that would show the full impacts these… Read more »
Posts Tagged: township government
Anti-Local Control Bill Fails in Senate; Now Let Lawmakers Know it Should be a Dead Issue
By Bobby King, Land Stewardship Project Last week the bill weakening local control, Senate File 270, came up on the Senate floor, met with strong opposition, and failed to pass. This is significant for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that the bill was given the thumbs down even after key… Read more »
The Fight for Local Control Goes Local; Anti-Local Control Bill Passes off MN House Floor
By Bobby King, Land Stewardship Project Some lawmakers in St. Paul are turning a deaf ear to an important fact: local control is a key tool for Minnesota cities, townships and counties seeking to create a positive future for their communities. That’s why local officials are cranking up the volume a bit by signing letters,… Read more »
Anti-Local Control Bill Goes to House Floor Vote This Afternoon—Call Reps. Now
Surprise and intimidation can be powerful tools when backers of major development seek to build a large facility in a small, rural township. For a town board used to dealing with mundane issues like gravel road maintenance and ditch mowing, to be suddenly confronted with a proposal for a large-scale industrialized livestock operation, garbage burner… Read more »
First on the Agenda Thursday: Weaken Local Control
Well, that didn’t take long. Tomorrow, at the very first meeting of the Minnesota House Government Operations and Elections Committee, lawmakers will take up House File 389, which weakens township, county and city local control. This legislation needs to be stopped before it even gets out of the starting gate. For details on how to… Read more »
Factory Farming’s 2 Least Favorite Words
A major reason factory farming hasn’t run completely roughshod over the Minnesota countryside can be summed up in two words: “local control.” That’s why corporate interests aren’t wasting any time this legislative session trying to make this critical tool go away. For example, the Senate Committee on Local Government and Elections was planning on taking… Read more »