A major revision of Minnesota shoreland rules is now under way.
The revision will affect shoreland property owners and the use and development of shoreland areas throughout the state.
An advisory panel to the project includes two northern Minnesota county commissioners.
The Shoreland Rules Update Project is being coordinated by the state’s Department of Natural Resources. The shoreland rules were last revised in 1989. By statute, the Commissioner of the DNR began new rulemaking in January.
According to the DNR, the goal of the current rulemaking is, in a transparent and inclusive process, to keep current development trends and issues in mind while developing workable standards that reflect key resource values and science and are adaptable to a variety of local issues and needs.
Two northern Minnesota county commissioners are sitting on the project’s Statewide External Advisory Committee dedicated to option and policy recommendations as well as the review of draft rule language.
Commissioners Brian Napstad of Aitkin County and Wade Pavleck of Koochiching County are representing the Northern Counties Land Use Coordinating Board, an eight-county joint powers board that focuses on land use and environmental issues in northern Minnesota.
The commissioners’ presence is seen as critical to some because counties as well as cities and towns are responsible for the implementation, administration and enforcement of shoreland management standards through their planning and zoning controls.
Napstad was involved in the writing of alternative shoreland standards developed in 2005 to address specific issues within a five-county area around Brainerd. These voluntary alternatives have been used as “tools in the toolbox” and do not cover all shoreland issues that may occur across the state.
As well as four other commissioners, members on the SEA Committee represent interests as various as the Met Council, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Forest Resource Councils and the Resort and Campground Association.
Complementing the SEA is a geographically focused advisory committee with statewide representation and a local unit of government advisory committee made up of administrators from counties, cities and townships.
Issue identification by the SEA will continue through July 2008. Policy and option recommendations will be considered from Aug. 2008 to Feb. 2009. And preliminary rule revisions will then continue through June 2009.
Interested people or groups may submit to the DNR comments or information on how existing rules should be revised. There will also be a public comment period after draft language is developed in 2009.
Those with concerns or comment are also encouraged to contact their local officials during the rule making process, including county commissioners sitting on the Northern Counties board. As well as Aitkin and Koochiching, NCLUCB’s member counties include Cook, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Pennington, Roseau, and St. Louis Counties.
More information on the project may be found at http://mndnr.gov/waters/shoreland.html [1].