Minnesotans pride ourselves on the high standards we set for the quality of our water, air and land. But a new law being pushed by corporate interests severely limits your right to decide if proposed developments are a good fit for your community. SF 270/HF 389
Right now, if a large-scale development is being proposed, such as a big-box store or a factory farm, communities have the ability to call a “time out” while they decide if the right safeguards are in place to protect from pollution and other types of damage. The time out takes effect with a simple majority rule vote by your city, township or county board, and can be called for at any time during the permitting process. This gives you and your neighbors time to learn about projects and make your voice heard with concerns.
Under the new law, communities will have very limited options for taking this kind of break. Once a permit application has been submitted, you and your neighbors have only around 30 days to raise your concerns and convince your local government to act. And the clock starts running before any public hearings about the proposed project, so you might not even find out about it before it’s too late. What’s worse, the new law increases the number of votes you need to halt a development to a “super majority.” So if your city council or county board has only five members, that means 4 of them have to agree.
The bill is expected to be on both the House and Senate floor soon for a vote. There’s still time to let your legislators know that SF 270/HF 389 takes away your voice and gives corporate interests an easy way around the safeguards we have in place to protect our health, safety and way of life.
