1. Subcommittee on Minnesota Water Policy
October 17, 2019 ~ 9:00 a.m.
Co-Chairs: Rep. Peter Fischer
Sen. Bill Weber
Jim Stark, Director

2. Agenda Approval of Subcommittee Meeting Minutes, September 17, 2019
Presentation: Jeff Broberg, MN Well Owners
Presentation: Jack Mackenzie, Executive Director, Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents’ Association and Dr. Chase Shaw, Scientist, University of Minnesota, Turfgrass
Director’s Report: Committee and Legislative Priorities

3. Presentation Jeff Broberg
MN Well Owner’s Organization

4. Presentation Jack Mackenzie & Dr. Chase Shaw
Jack Mackenzie, Executive Director, Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents’ Association and Dr. Chase Shaw, Scientist, University of Minnesota - Turfgrass

5. Director’s Report: Proposed Legislative Water Policy Topics for 2020
Today’s meeting will focus on the legislative issues having the greatest support during our August and September stakeholder meetings
Started with 26 topics
Sources:
Requests from legislators or advocates
Topics from 2019 session
Bills introduced during the 2019 session
Based on stakeholder meetings
Topics were combined and reduced to 16
Topics were refined by stakeholders

6. Proposed Legislative Water Policy Topics for 2020 At today’s meeting:
Briefly describe each topic
Ask you to consider them over the next month
November: Discussion and consensus on moving forward with all or some of the topical issues as bills
Briefly summarized in the handout

7. FTP site: ftp://ftp.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/pub/lwc
Details
Detailed position papers are available at the following sites:
FTP site: ftp://ftp.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/pub/lwc
Google doc site:

8. Legislative Topics
Topic 1A: Simplifying the Water-Quality Standards Review and Revision Process
Topic 1B: Simplifying the Irrigation Water Appropriation Process
Topic 1C: State Assumption of Federal Wetlands Permits (Section 404)
Topic 1X: Address Soil and Water Conservation District Funding
Topic 2A: Prioritizing Outcomes for Clean Water Program
Topic 2C: Provide Incentives for Healthy Soil
Topic 3A: Prioritizing our Environmental Spending
Topic 3D: Ensuring Safe and Sustainable Drinking Water for the Future
Topic 4A: Keeping Water on the Land – Quantifying the Impacts of Water Storage and Flood Retention Structures
Topic 4C: Encourage and Fund Research and Outreach that Promote Precision Agriculture
Topic 5D: Reduce the over-use of Salt – Protect our Lakes, Rivers, and Groundwater
Topic 5E: Increase efforts to Encourage Efficient Wastewater and Storm Water Technology and Treatment Options
Topic 6C: Legislative Support to Improve Minnesota’s Water Infrastructure
Topic 7A: Creation of a Department of Water Resources – Water Governance in Minnesota
Topic 7B: Change the Structure and Function of the Clean Water Council & the Subcommittee on Minnesota Water Policy
Topic 7D: Leveraging Dedicated Funding Programs to Maximize Conservation Outcomes

9. Legislative Topics #1
1A: Simplifying the Water Quality Standards, Review, and Revision Process
1B: Simplifying the Irrigation Water Appropriation Process
1C: State Assumption of Federal Wetlands Permits (Section 404)

10. Legislative Topics #2 1X: Addressing SWCD Funding
2A: Prioritizing Outcomes for Clean Water Programs
2C: Providing Incentives for healthy Soil

11. Legislative Topics #3 3A: Prioritizing our Environmental Spending
3D: Ensuring Safe and Sustainable Drinking Water for the Future
4A: Keeping Water on the Land – Quantifying the Impacts of Water Storage and Flood Retention Structures

12. Legislative Topics #4
4C: Encouraging and Funding Research and Outreach that Promote Precision Agriculture
5D: Reducing Over-use of Salt: Protect our Lakes, Rivers, and Groundwater
5E: Increasing Efforts to Encourage Efficient Wastewater and Storm Water Technology and Treatment Options

13. Legislative Topics #5
6C: Legislative Support to Improve Minnesota’s Water Infrastructure
7A: Creation of a Department of Water Resources – Water Governance in Minnesota
7B: Change the Structure and Function of the Clean Water Council and the Subcommittee on Minnesota Water Policy
7D: Leveraging Dedicated Funding Programs to Maximize Conservation Outcomes

14. Discussion and Questions
Letters introducing topics from the chairs, were sent to environmental leadership, requesting introductory meetings
Meeting scheduled with the Clean Water Council
Your help in scheduling meetings would be appreciated
Next meeting, at the request of the chairs, will be November 12th at 1:00 p.m.
Thanks

15. Thanks