St. Paul, Minn. – Senator David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm) today voted with a majority of lawmakers to eliminate a wild rice sulfate standard based on data collected in the 1940s that has not been enforced by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) since the 1970s.
Sen. Tomassoni gave a speech on the Senate floor in support of his decision. Full video of Sen. Tomassoni’s remarks can be viewed here:
Excerpt of Sen. Tomassoni remarks
“We’ve been mining for 135 years on the Iron Range and wild rice has grown the entire time… and so for us to suddenly say if we don’t have a standard it’s going to harm wild rice is simply inaccurate. This is not only a logical thing to do for the state of Minnesota, but it is also a pro-jobs, pro-union, and pro-business type of act that will make many people feel way more comfortable with what their future will be like.”
Read more news from Sen. Tomassoni.
