The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) completed 78 enforcement cases for water quality, air quality, waste, stormwater, and wastewater violations in the second half of 2025. The MPCA completed 68 enforcement cases in the first half of 2025, bringing the total enforcement cases completed for the year to 146. Environmental enforcement investigations often take several months, in some cases more than a year, before the MPCA issues final enforcement documents and fines to regulated parties.
Penalties are calculated using several factors, including harm done or potential for harm to the environment, the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws, or how responsive and cooperative a regulated party was in correcting problems.
Imposing monetary penalties is only part of the MPCA’s enforcement process. Agency staff continue to provide assistance, support, and information on the steps and tools necessary to bring any company, individual, or local government back into compliance.
| Public date | Company or individual(s) (location) | Violation location | Violation description | Net penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/4/2025 | Al-Corn Clean Fuel, LLC | Claremont | Air quality - Al-Corn Fuel exceeded its particulate matter limits in June 2024, October 2024, and March 2025. | $40,427 |
| 9/26/2025 | Shearer's Food Perham, LLC | Perham | Air quality - Shearer’s operated without an air permit since 2015. | $37,750 |
| 10/4/2025 | Grede, LLC | Saint Cloud | Air quality – Grede’s stack testing showed that the foundry was not meeting its pollution prevention limits for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. | $30,000 |
| 9/12/2025 | Rainy Lake Oil, Inc. | International Falls | Underground tanks - Rainy Lake Oil failed to repair a pipe that was leaking diesel fuel for four months in 2024, resulting in a release of 200 gallons. | $25,000 |
| 10/2/2025 | Lakes Concrete Plus | Bemidji | Subsurface sewage treatment system (SSTS) - Lakes Concrete Plus sold tanks that contained weep holes. | $25,000 |
| 7/8/2025 | Derek Vekich | Bovey | Construction stormwater - Derek Vekich filled in a wetland with more than 9,000 square feet of unpermitted fill near Trout Lake. | $20,110 |
| 10/9/2025 | BNSF Railway Co. | Willmar | Industrial stormwater - BNSF Railway discharged eroded soil into a city stormwater system and to the shoreline of Foot Lake. | $20,000 |
| 10/17/2025 | MnDOT Metro Construction and Bituminous Roadways | Saint Paul | Stormwater - MnDOT and Bituminous Roadways failed to install stormwater protections at storm drains. This failure allowed stormwater to carry a significant amount of sediment into the stormwater sewer system as well as nearby Round Lake. | MnDOT - $18,600; Bituminous - $11,737 |
| 7/7/2025 | Heron Lake BioEnergy, LLC | Heron Lake | Air quality - Heron Lake BioEnergy exceeded permit limits of particulate matter and hazardous air pollutants | $18,445 |
| 12/18/2025 | Farmers Grain | Thief River Falls | Industrial wastewater - Farmers Grain pumped contaminated wastewater into the Thief River Falls city stormwater system that discharges into the Red Lake River, an impaired water. | $18,120 |
| 11/10/2025 | Carver County | Chaska | Construction stormwater - Carver County failed to prevent sediment-laden stormwater from entering a stream at a construction site and did not provide soil stabilization or sediment controls when needed. | $16,233 |
| 12/23/2025 | Cold Spring Brewing Company | Cold Spring | Industrial stormwater - Cold Spring Brewing Company failed to reduce or eliminate contaminated stormwater runoff, failed to implement a facility inspection plan, and failed to apply for industrial stormwater permits. | $15,939 |
| 11/19/2025 | Sheldahl Flexible Technologies | Northfield | Air quality - Sheldahl Flexible Technologies submitted incorrect permit applications and failed to obtain approval prior to installing or modifying three pieces of industrial mixing equipment. | $15,758 |
| 10/21/2025 | West Fraser, LLC | Solway | Air quality - West Fraser submitted carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide performance tests more than 100 days late and exceeded its hazardous air pollution limits from March 2023 to November 2023. | $15,250 |
| 7/25/2025 | Green Plains Fairmont, LLC | Fairmont | Emergency response - Green Plains Fairmont contaminated groundwater after a four-day ethanol spill. | $14,175 |
| 7/16/2025 | City of Austin | Austin | Municipal wastewater - The city of Austin exceeded its wastewater permit limits for ammonia and fecal coliform 16 times over an eight-month period. | $14,156 |
| 9/10/2025 | City of Benson | Benson | Air quality - Benson Municipal Utilities failed to conduct required carbon monoxide tests within its permit deadline for five generators providing emergency power services to the city. | $14,002 |
| 12/15/2025 | New Ulm Steel | New Ulm | Air quality - New Ulm Steel failed a noise test and was fined for dust escaping the facility and landing on a public road. | $13,850 |
| 11/10/2025 | S.M. Hentges & Sons | Chaska | Construction stormwater - S.M. Hentges & Sons discharged soil-laden stormwater into a ravine that drains into McKnight Lake. | $13, 078 |
| 8/19/2025 | Lange Agricultural Systems | Willmar | Hazardous waste & industrial wastewater - Lange Agricultural Systems improperly disposed, stored, and burned used engine oil. The company also poured contaminated wastewater into a storm drain. | $12,511 |
| 10/15/2025 | New Flyer of America | Saint Cloud | Hazardous waste - New Flyer of America failed to promptly clean up spilled zinc primer, a hazardous waste. | $12,113 |
| 12/15/2025 | Hutchinson Utilities Company | Hutchinson | Air quality - Hutchinson Utilities exceeded its permit limit for particulate matter during an air quality performance test. | $11,340 |
| 7/9/2025 | Cirrus Aircraft | Hermantown | Air quality | $9,366 |
| 11/18/2025 | Dairy Farmers of America | Winthrop | Industrial Wastewater | $8,750 |
| 11/13/2025 | Harley Loewe and Robert Loewe | Henderson | Feedlots | $8,640 |
| 10/21/2025 | Allan R. Bottila | Esko | Construction stormwater | $8,000 |
| 10/31/2025 | Erickson Oil Products Inc. | Fridley | Underground tanks | $7,650 |
| 11/19/2025 | CP Rail Yard | Saint Paul | Emergency response | $7,650 |
| 10/31/2025 | Kurita America Inc. | Shakopee | Hazardous waste | $7,425 |
| 8/11/2025 | Geotek, LLC | Stewartville | Air quality | $7,147 |
| 10/31/2025 | City of Lakeville | Lakeville | Construction stormwater | $6,360 |
| 8/18/2025 | Trelleborg Sealing Solutions US, Inc. | Delano | Hazardous waste | $6,175 |
| 8/12/2025 | Dakota County | Hastings | Air quality | $6,034 |
| 9/18/2025 | Nathan Arendt and Mindi Arendt | Mazeppa | Solid waste | $5,820 |
| 7/23/2025 | Compass Minerals America, Inc. | Duluth | Industrial stormwater | $5,575 |
| 12/17/2025 | Metropolitan Council | Saint Paul | Air quality | $5,520 |
| 7/28/2025 | Kevin Belkholm | Braham | Solid waste | $5,400 |
| 8/20/2025 | City of Henderson | Henderson | Municipal wastewater | $5,400 |
| 8/14/2025 | Bob Brink, Inc. | Winona | Industrial stormwater | $4,424 |
| 7/24/2025 | Kuechle Underground, Inc. | Maple Grove | Construction stormwater | $3,933 |
| 11/12/2025 | Joe Suchy and Megan Suchy | Detroit Lakes | Solid waste | $3,775 |
| 7/31/2025 | Elliot Lefrooth | Newfolden | Solid waste | $3,600 |
| 7/15/2025 | Wes Hanson Builders, Inc. | Crosslake | Hazardous waste | $3,525 |
| 11/21/2025 | City of Two Harbors | Two Harbors | Municipal wastewater | $3,375 |
| 12/12/2025 | River Valley Power & Sport of Rochester, Inc. | Rochester | Hazardous waste | $3,162 |
| 11/10/2025 | MnDOT District 7 | Lake Crystal | Construction stormwater | $2,970 |
| 11/10/2025 | The Mathiowetz Construction Co. | Lake Crysal | Construction stormwater | $2,970 |
| 11/3/2025 | Jack DuClos | McGregor | Solid waste | $2,835 |
| 9/18/2025 | Schumacher's Triple Pride Dairy, LLC | Eyota | Feedlots | $2,500 |
| 11/5/2025 | Good Shepard Lutheran Home | Rushford | Hazardous waste | $2,341 |
| 7/23/2025 | MG Waldbaum Co. | Gaylord | Industrial wastewater | $2,115 |
| 11/7/2025 | Donald Burns | Glenville | Solid waste | $2,100 |
| 12/3/2025 | Larson's Auto Body, Inc. | Cambridge | Hazardous waste | $2,063 |
| 11/24/2025 | All-Ways Painting, Inc. | Ironton | Hazardous waste | $1,847 |
| 10/31/2025 | The Concordia College Corporation | Moorhead | Hazardous waste | $1,847 |
| 10/8/2025 | Titan Machinery, Inc. | Hermantown | Hazardous waste | $1,847 |
| 10/24/2025 | Brad's Auto Clinic, LLC | Duluth | Hazardous waste | $1,847 |
| 10/24/2025 | Sonju Two Harbors, LLC | Two Harbors | Hazardous waste | $1,847 |
| 11/12/2025 | West Central Sanitation, Inc. | Willmar | Hazardous waste | $1,847 |
| 9/4/2025 | Daniel Lund | Brook Park | Solid waste | $1,800 |
| 9/2/2025 | Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency | Mora | Air quality | $1,685 |
| 8/28/2025 | Schlomka Services, LLC | Hastings | SSTS | $1,650 |
| 12/10/2025 | Max N. Burmeister | Blackduck | SSTS | $1,650 |
| 1211/2025 | Owen W. Seitz | Bemidji | SSTS | $1,650 |
| 8/18/2025 | Mactech Incorporated | Red Wing | Hazardous waste | $1,150 |
| 11/24/2025 | L & M Supply, Inc. | Virginia | Hazardous waste | $1,119 |
| 11/24/2025 | L & M Supply, Inc. | Detroit Lakes | Hazardous waste | $1,119 |
| 11/24/2025 | L & M Supply, Inc. | Hibbing | Hazardous waste | $1,119 |
| 11/13/2025 | Nytech, Inc. | St. Augusta | Hazardous waste | $1,119 |
| 10/31/2025 | Twin Ports Collision and Repair, Inc. | Duluth | Hazardous waste | $1,118 |
| 10/7/2025 | Rihm Motor Company | Minnesota City | Hazardous waste | $1,118 |
| 10/8/2025 | Schwartz Enterprises, LLC d/b/a Junkluggers of Minnesota | Brooklyn Park | Electronic waste | $875 |
| 10/7/2025 | Tony Becker | Rushford | Hazardous waste | $868 |
| 12/3/2025 | Robert J. Halverson | Red Wing | SSTS | $500 |
| 8/18/2025 | Glendon and Lois Braun | Le Center | SSTS | $500 |
| 11/17/2025 | Xcel Energy | Dodge Center | Construction stormwater | $225 |
| 11/17/2025 | Market & Johnson, Inc. | Dodge Center | Construction stormwater | $225 |