Bluestem's been following Minnesota's conversation about nitrates polluting its surface and ground water, most recently in post like Jean Wagenius: Knowing history of regulatory capture on ag pollution can help us end it and Office of Legislative Auditor places MPCA nitrate rulemaking on list of possible 2024 audit topics.
On Friday, Minnesota Public Radio's Kristi Marohn picked up the thread in Lawmaker: Raise fertilizer fees to help pay cost of nitrate pollution:
Long before he was a state lawmaker, Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul worked for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, helping develop best practices for managing nitrogen fertilizer.
Three decades later, he says the state’s approach to preventing nitrogen pollution hasn’t worked.
Hansen, chair of the House environment committee, thinks the state should raise its fees on fertilizer, the source of the majority of nitrate in southeast Minnesota waters.
“We have tried incentives. We’ve tried education. We’ve tried voluntary management practices,” Hansen said. “We’ve had meetings after meetings … and the nitrogen fertilizer use continues to go up.”
Hansen’s proposal comes amid increased scrutiny of the role cropland agriculture plays in nitrate pollution.
Southeast Minnesota is particularly vulnerable to nitrate contamination because of its karst geology, which allows pollutants to travel easily from the surface to the groundwater. In some townships, 40 percent of private wells tested had nitrate levels higher than the safe health limit.
Consuming too much nitrate can pose health risks, including a rare but sometimes fatal condition in infants known as blue baby syndrome.
In November, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told state agencies to take additional steps to address nitrate contamination in southeast Minnesota, including providing safe drinking water immediately to residents with contaminated wells.
Raising fertilizer fees could partially fund actions to help those people affected, Hansen said.
“It’s not their fault that the water is contaminated,” he said. “They’re going to need safe drinking water. And how do you pay for that? It should not come from the general taxpayer. It should come from those responsible.”
Hansen’s proposal likely will meet with pushback. Last year, the state agriculture department proposed raising the inspection fee on fertilizer from 39 cents to 64 cents per ton. The agency said the cost to the average farm would have been about $20 a year.
But it failed after farm groups opposed it, and Republicans questioned raising fees amid a huge budget surplus. ...
Read the rest at MPR, As readers might imagine, there's some opposition to making the polluter pay.
Photo: An aerial view of the Mississippi River-Lake Pepin watershed. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
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- This is fine: update on MN state agencies' response to EPA letter on karst country nitrates
- Following emergency petition regarding nitrate contamination in SEMN karst region, EPA sees further action needed to protect public health
- On ‘Cancer Road,’ a group of southeastern MN families ask if nitrate exposure is to blame
- leven environmental groups petition EPA on nitrate pollution in Southeast Minnesota wate
- Strib scrutinizes MN Department of Ag action on nitrate-related Groundwater Protection Rule
- Nitrates in Southwestern Minnesota water: 'Do not give the water to infants' in Ellsworth
- Commentary from MinnPost: Can the state control nitrates in Minnesota waters?
- Minnesota Department of Health isn’t properly enforcing drinking water law, and kids will suffer
- is far from over
- Packed house at Newburg Township on using local control to protect community, karst
- All citizens are equal, but one thinks he's more equal: massive hog farm shareholder* seeks to prevent August 2 Newburgh Township meeting
- Jean Wagenius: For climate and clean water, state agencies need Walz to lead
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