Judge Extends Public Comment
Period on Groundwater Protection Rule
Public
may submit written comments until August 15, 2018; anyone planning to testify
at next week’s public hearings should arrive at the start of the hearings
St. Paul, MN: An
Administrative Law Judge has extended the amount of time the public has to
submit written input on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) proposed
Groundwater Protection Rule. Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig issued the order to leave the comment
period open until 4:30 p.m. on August 15, or approximately two weeks longer
than originally scheduled.
Written comments on the Groundwater Protection Rule
can be made on the Office of Administrative Hearings website at www.mda.state.mn.us/gwprhearingnotice.
Public input is important to the rule making process and in
addition to submitting written comments online, the public is also invited to
testify at hearings on the proposed rule next Wednesday, July 25, starting at 10:00
a.m. at River's Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and on Thursday,
July 26, starting at 9:00 a.m. at the American Legion in Park Rapids,
Minnesota.
Members of the
public who wish to testify should plan to arrive at the start of the hearings
to ensure their comments are heard. The hearings will conclude after everyone
present at the beginning of the hearing has had the opportunity to speak. The formal Notice of Hearings gives an end
time, but the hearing is not necessarily open until the end time. The hearing
concludes once everyone present at the beginning of the hearing has had an
opportunity to speak.
Nitrate
is one of the most common contaminants in Minnesota's groundwater; elevated nitrate
levels in drinking water can pose serious health concerns for humans. The goal of
the Groundwater Protection Rule is to work with local farmers to reduce
elevated nitrate levels in groundwater. The proposed rule would regulate the
use of nitrogen fertilizer in areas of the state where soils are vulnerable to
leaching and where drinking water supplies have high nitrate levels.
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