News releases

Snow-covered and frozen soils make land application of manure a challenge.

The agency extended the public comment period by two weeks due to requests from many citizens.

The St. Louis River AOC will have seven remaining impairments to address before the entire St Louis River AOC can be delisted.

The proposer plans to build a new 2,500-head swine finishing facility about 2 miles southwest of Alden.

Scotch Prairie Farms in Wabasha County, about seven miles southeast of Lake City, is proposing to triple its dairy operation, according to an Environmental Assessment Worksheet prepared by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

This is in addition to the air quality alert already in effect for the northern half of the state and the affected area now includes the Twin Cities metro area, Mankato, Rochester, and St. Cloud and the tribal nations of Upper Sioux and Prairie Island.  

Excessive levels of bacteria, sediment, a pesticide called chlorpyrifos, and chloride, along with stressors causing poor fish and aquatic insect communities, contribute to impairments in this northwest Minnesota watershed.

The affected area includes the cities of Worthington, Marshall, Ortonville, Alexandria, Moorhead, East Grand Forks, Roseau and Bemidji, and the tribal nations of Red Lake, Leech Lake, and Upper Sioux.

Penalties from all 52 cases totaled just over $366,000.

The company has also paid a $30,000 penalty to the MPCA as part of the agreement to bring the company into compliance with environmental laws.

The 20 ethanol plants in Minnesota produce more than one billion gallons of clean biofuel annually providing a market for more than 400 million bushels of corn.

If manure-storage facilities overflow, if manure enters surface waters, or if a storage structure is inundated by floodwaters, farmers must call the Minnesota Duty Officer immediately at 800-422-0789.