Contact: Michael Rafferty, 651-757-2662
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) services would be limited to critical health and safety activities, should state government shut down at midnight tonight, the MPCA said today.
The MPCA will respond to environmental emergencies and spills; maintain safety and health-related equipment at landfills and other cleanup sites; and notify citizens of an air quality alert, as directed by the court. A skeleton administrative staff will be working to support the critical functions. In all, 15 of the MPCA's current workforce of 920 will be working.
"The vast majority of our services will not be available," Commissioner Paul Aasen said. "These are services that many Minnesotans rely on — from citizens to local governments to the business community."
During a shutdown, the MPCA will not review or issue any permits, including permits for construction activity across the state. These construction stormwater permits, about 80 per week in the summer, allow road improvements and building construction to go forward, ensuring that water quality is protected.
The MPCA website will not be available for environmental information, nor will the agency's small business assistance staff be available to provide advice and assistance. Environmental inspections will not be conducted. Many of the state's clean water activities will be suspended, including monitoring lakes and streams and implementing cleanup actions in polluted waters. In addition, some local water quality cleanup activities, funded by state contracts, will be suspended.
"In the long-term, all of the MPCA's activities are essential to our state's health and environment," Aasen said. "They simply don't meet the short-term critical definition required by law. Long-term loss of these services will have severe impacts on our state's economy and quality of life."
