Please join this community open house to learn more about what cumulative impacts are, who they affect, and how you can get involved in this rulemaking process. Interpreters for Spanish, Somali and Hmong will be available to assist participants during the meetings.
The following video and fact sheets will help provide a better understanding of the law and the 30-month timeline to develop the new regulations.
For many neighborhoods and communities in Minnesota, decades-old permitting and zoning decisions by local, state, and federal governments have resulted in heavily polluting industrial and manufacturing facilities located near homes, schools, and parks. These decisions have left too many Minnesotans disproportionally exposed to harmful pollutants.
To start correcting this problem, the Minnesota Legislature has directed the MPCA to address the cumulative impacts of air pollution in the permitting process. This affects community members and about 123 facilities within environmental justice areas in the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area and the cities of Rochester and Duluth. The MPCA is beginning a rulemaking process to determine how to implement this new law.
Comment opportunity. During this first phase of rulemaking, the public is encouraged to submit ideas on how the MPCA should implement the new cumulative impacts law. Here are some questions the agency hopes the public can provide feedback on during this comment period.
- What specific criteria should be considered for requiring a cumulative impacts analysis?
- What health risks or concerns should be considered?
- What should be included in a community benefit agreement?
- Should a community benefit agreement have a public comment process?
- How should the agency engage with all stakeholders throughout the development process?
Share your ideas
Submit comments by October 6.
