Some feedlots in Minnesota are required to go through the environmental review process before the MPCA can authorize construction or expansion. Environmental review is an information gathering process, it is not an approval or final decision on whether a project will happen or not.
Environmental review has two primary objectives:
- Give the public access to decision makers, to help ensure public awareness and meaningful input into public and private decision making
- Inform decision makers during the permitting process and better protect the environment before changes are made
An environmental assessment worksheet (EAW) is used to gather information about the potential environmental impacts of a project. The MPCA uses the EAW process to decide whether the project's potential environmental effects should be studied closer through an environmental impact statement (EIS). The MPCA Commissioner makes the final decision on the need for an EIS.