State Representative John Poston is a cosponsor for this nasty piece of legislation. This is after an Administrative Law Judge refused to lower the standard at the request of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Shame on John Poston. Please email and/or call him and tell him to remove is support. (This information is from Water Legacy in Duluth http://waterlegacy.org
Protect Minnesota infants from toxic mercury!
The special interest sulfate bills making their way through the Minnesota Legislature (HF 3280/SF 2983) would: 1) eliminate Minnesota’s existing water quality standard for sulfate of 10 parts per million in wild rice waters; 2) limit the wild rice waters to which any sulfate standard could apply; and 3) block enforcement of any permits that require treatment to limit sulfate pollution (including PolyMet mine permits!)
Minnesota’s wild rice standard has already been upheld twice in state court. In January, an independent Administrative Law Judge found that repealing the wild rice sulfate standard or restricting the number of wild rice waters protected from sulfate pollution would violate the federal Clean Water Act. Yet, special interests are trying to force Minnesota to violate federal law! It would be absurd if it weren’t so dangerous.
Eliminating the wild rice sulfate standard and blocking permit enforcement would decimate wild rice and place an unjust burden on Minnesota’s tribal communities.
For 10 years, foreign copper-nickel mining interests have promised to use modern reverse osmosis water treatment to protect clean water and public health from sulfate pollution. Now, the special interest bills attacking Minnesota’s wild rice standard would prevent any costs for treatment to comply with sulfate standards. Have we been lied to again?
Tell your Legislator and Governor Dayton to stop foreign corporations from breaking their promises to control copper-nickel mining pollution.
Please share this email with your friends, family and neighbors. You can also call your State Senator and Representative and make sure they know how you feel.
Help us to stand up for the rule of law, clean water, wild rice, tribal rights, and the developing brains of the next generation.
Sincerely,
Paula Goodman Maccabee
Advocacy Director and Counsel for WaterLegacy
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Sulfate pollution increases mercury contamination of fish, posing a serious threat to the health of Minnesota infants and children.
New peer-reviewed research shows that sulfate pollution can multiply by almost 6 times the amount of toxic methylmercury available to accumulate in the food chain and contaminate fish eaten by Minnesotans. Removing controls on sulfate pollution in Minnesota, thus, poses a serious risk of brain damage and lower IQ for Minnesota fetuses, infants and children.
Yet, powerful mining special interests and the politicians who do their bidding are now trying to repeal Minnesota’s wild rice sulfate standard. Bills to allow sulfate pollution have already been approved in committees in both the Minnesota House and Senate.
The special interest sulfate bills making their way through the Minnesota Legislature (HF 3280/SF 2983) would: 1) eliminate Minnesota’s existing water quality standard for sulfate of 10 parts per million in wild rice waters; 2) limit the wild rice waters to which any sulfate standard could apply; and 3) block enforcement of any permits that require treatment to limit sulfate pollution (including PolyMet mine permits!)
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| Wild Rice - Thanks Wikipedia |
For 10 years, foreign copper-nickel mining interests have promised to use modern reverse osmosis water treatment to protect clean water and public health from sulfate pollution. Now, the special interest bills attacking Minnesota’s wild rice standard would prevent any costs for treatment to comply with sulfate standards. Have we been lied to again?
Tell your Legislator and Governor Dayton to stop foreign corporations from breaking their promises to control copper-nickel mining pollution.
Please share this email with your friends, family and neighbors. You can also call your State Senator and Representative and make sure they know how you feel.
Help us to stand up for the rule of law, clean water, wild rice, tribal rights, and the developing brains of the next generation.
Sincerely,
Paula Goodman Maccabee
Advocacy Director and Counsel for WaterLegacy
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