In Sunday's Star Tribune, Jennifer Bjorhus reports in Rustic restroom in northern Minnesota to get $300,000 upgrade that in 2013, Representative David Dill suddenly developed an interest in leaving no dollar unturned in the pursuit of pristine water quality in the area surrounding Voyageurs National Park.
Bjorhus's story echoes an April news report in the Tower Timberjay, Critics say bathroom plan flushes tax dollars. (It's amazing how often Bjorhus is credited with "breaking" stories that have already been covered in regional mainstream media; see examples from Shakopee and St. Cloud. Her latest "scoop" relies on the same sources as the Timberjay article).
As dedicated Dill watchers, Bluestem can only be disappointed that Dill retreated faster from 2013's nascent dirty hippie status than Dead fans from an ordinary batch of brownies. It seems like only yesterday--or maybe it was last week--that he was voting for the dirty environment budget bill that eliminated the Citizens Board of the MPCA while complicating the establishment of clean water standards. Not to mention that schtick about copper-nickel mine waste exemptions.
Speaking of elimination, here's the lowdown from the April 8, 2015 Ely Timberjay story (we won't using Bjorhus' derivative stenography), Critics say bathroom plan flushes tax dollars:
Lake has blossomed into a multimillion-dollar project, sparking criticism that the Crane Lake Water and Sanitary District is flushing money down a toilet.
“It’s a complete waste of tax dollars,” said Brent Bystrom, whose parents live on Handberg Point and who is a frequent visitor to Crane Lake. Bystrom, who has a civil engineering degree with an emphasis in water and wastewater treatment, contends that the current facility, which stores waste in a watertight holding tank, is more than adequate. He alleges that the district is exaggerating the threat to Crane Lake’s water to secure grants to obtain more customers for its sewage treatment facility.
“This process is being driven more by politics than what is good for the environment,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, Sara Heger, an on-site sewage program specialist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service, questions the urgency of installing a pipeline before an inventory of existing wastewater systems is done.
“This is not the typical way you go about this,” said Heger, who is assisting Crane Lake in conducting a Comprehensive Assessment Review (CAR) of the community’s wastewater systems. “Usually you determine the need first before you install the pipeline.” Heger said many other options — such as mound or cluster systems — can be used and are less costly than connecting to a sewage collection and treatment center. In fact, she said, such options are as good if not better than transporting waste to a treatment and collection center. . . .
Meanwhile, the DNR is moving forward on plans for a new bathroom equipped with flush toilets. To accommodate the outhouse, a 6,000-foot pipeline extension to the landing will be needed to pump waste to the treatment plant. The bathroom building is still in the design phase with construction expected later this summer.
Millions of dollars in public funding has been earmarked for the Handberg Road expansion, including $1.5 million in Legacy Amendment funds, $750,000 in state bonding and $689,586 in Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board dollars.
In addition, the state Legislature appropriated $300,000 from its water recreation fund for the new DNR bathroom. State. Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, authored the House bill (HF 418) to authorize the funds while Sen. Tom Bakk, DL-Cook, and David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm, authored the Senate companion bill (SF 351).
The CLSWD Board defends the project as necessary to protect the environment, citing the need to “protect and restore the waters of Voyageurs National Park.” The board said no Legacy Dollars will be used for construction of the bathroom facility, and the district must provide matching funds for some of the public dollars.
Pricey outhouse
The current privy sits on top a concrete tank, with a 1,000-gallon capacity. According to the DNR, the tank is pumped once a year, and averages about 150-250 gallons of waste annually. The pumped waste is hauled to the Crane Lake sewage facility for treatment.
Cost of the annual pumping is about $200. But the DNR will spend nearly 38 times that amount — $7,500 — just to hook up to the sewage line. In addition, it will be charged a monthly fee between $100 to $300, depending on the usage of the facility. . . .
We can only conclude that the 2013 earmark was the high point for Representative Dill's aspirations as a dirty hippie--and things only flowed downhill since then. While reader comments on the Strib article are linking Dill and the EPA, such connections fall flat when we review Dill's clean water record since 2013.
Take our March 2014 post, Franson & DFL Rangers totally eclipse Pugh's ALEC crew in EPA nullification March madness in which we considered how Dill signed on as a co-author of a remarkable piece of legislation:
It's hard to fault ultra-conservative state representative Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) for introducing HF3094, a Tenther-movement bill to nullify the federal Environmental Protection Agency's power in Minnesota. She's facing a viable challenger from the right who's long coveted the seat, regardless of which Republican occupies it.
Nor can we express surprise that a covey of ALEC members (mostly), led by Cindy Pugh (R-Chanhassen), has introduced a Republican-only HF3085, a resolution to oppose "EPA regulations that would expand federal jurisdiction over waters and lands without Congressional approval."
What's puzzling is what three DFL legislators are doing in this clown car, even if the three gentlemen are from the Range. . . .
There's a different account of the impulse for introduction of bill in the Duluth Tribune article, EPA action on Mesabi Nugget spurs anti-agency bill in state House:
State Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, said the bill, HF 3094, was introduced Monday in frustration over federal action that could negatively impact the Mesabi Nugget iron plant near Hoyt Lakes.
That's what the bill's author, Mary Franson told Northland News--she said she introduced it because of a new rule on wood pellets in stoves. Dill also said:
that the bill won’t get a hearing in the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee – even though Dill is the committee chairman – because it was introduced too late to meet the House’s self-imposed Friday deadline for bills to clear committees.
And last November's post, New MN House Mining & Outdoor Recreation Committee totally respects David Dill's lifestyle, we noted how Dill lamented that those dirty hippies in the cities didn't understand his lifestyle of "going fishing, snowmobiling and ATVing."
Later that month, Dill lamented how wetlands got in the way of development, we noted in our post, He's from the government & he's here to help: David Dill discloses metro wetlands loss envy.
Photo: Representative David Dill, Crane Lake.
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