This story was originally published by the Minnesota Reformer, an independent, nonprofit news organization that is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Trade unions and business leaders have unified around a bipartisan bill aimed at speeding up the environmental permitting process, which they say has choked off investment and cost the state thousands of good-paying jobs in construction, manufacturing and mining.
“We’re doing nothing to change (Minnesota’s) environmental or labor standards with this bill. What we’re doing is we’re trying to make it easier for applicants to go through the process,” said Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, during a news conference on Thursday.
The coalition of business groups and unions — including those representing laborers, carpenters, operating engineers and ironworkers — say Minnesota’s current laws allow opponents to delay projects to death. For example, Minnesota’s air permitting review takes about six times as long as Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, according to a study by the Minnesota Chamber Foundation.
Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, pointed to a proposed OSB board factory in his district that was expected to create 150 jobs. Huber Engineered Woods scrapped plans for the plant in Cohasset because of lengthy permitting delays following objections from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe over potential pollution.
“If they were still in this state, they would still be in permitting. And they are open in another state right now operating,” Eichhorn said.
The Minnesota Chamber Foundation estimates the state could gain $260 million to $910 million in economic activity if it operated like other states.
The bill (HF8/SF577) would speed up the permitting process by creating more stringent deadlines for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to approve or deny permits, requiring the agency to issue separate permits for construction and operations, and limiting local governments to one 60-day extension in making wetlands conservation determinations.
The bill also creates an “ombudsman for business permitting” and requires petitions for environmental reviews to include 100 people who live or own property near the proposed project. (Currently, petitions can include signatures from anyone who lives in the state).
Last year, Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill that shortened and streamlined permitting for clean energy projects and power transmission lines. That bill enjoyed broad support among Democrats, but some appear skeptical of the new, more comprehensive effort to speed up environmental reviews.
During a committee hearing on Thursday, Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis, voiced opposition to the provision putting geographic limits on who can petition for environmental reviews, even for projects on public lands.
“We’re talking about land that is owned by the people of Minnesota,” Jordan said. “It feels very upsetting to hear that we feel like they should not have a voice on their land, the water that they drink and the air that they breathe.”
Environmental groups called the bill “a solution in search of a problem,” pointing out the vast majority of permitting decisions on priority projects already meet statutory timelines, and when they don’t, it’s because of changes to the project, incomplete applications or other deficiencies.
Max Nesterak is the deputy editor of the Minnesota Reformer and reports on labor and housing.
