Well, that was quick. MinnPost alum Devin Henry reports in The Hill: “Oil could begin flowing through the Dakota Access pipeline ‘sometime this week,’ the company’s developers said in a court filing Monday night. … The two-page filing with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals — a weekly update on the project’s status ordered by a judge in February — was mostly redacted due to ‘recent coordinated physical attacks along the pipeline that pose threats to life, physical safety, and the environment,’ the document said. … But the company’s lawyers told the judge any potential violence ‘will not stop’ work to put oil into the pipeline. Energy Transfer Partners ‘now believes that oil may flow sometime this week.’ ”
Not a tax! A fee! Midwest Energy News’ Frank Jossi reports: “The Minnesota Legislature is considering two bills that could add an $85 to $125 annual fee for electric vehicle drivers. … The legislation stems from concern over the loss of tax revenue from gas receipts, even though Minnesota has fewer than 4,000 electric vehicles on the road. State Rep. Pat Garofalo, a Tesla owner and EV supporter, authored HF 1133, which would assess an $85 annual fee. … The fee would only be paid by vehicles powered by electric motors and give those drivers the right to use MnPASS express lanes free of charge. A companion bill is in the Senate.”
Still haven’t cleaned up our act. MPR reports: “Minnesota’s identity is closely linked to the state’s beautiful and abundant waters. But for all its beauty, deep concerns lie just below the surface. … According to the latest impaired waters list, about 40 percent of Minnesota’s lakes and streams are contaminated by pollutants. … The list, updated every two years by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, looks at pollutants in water around the state and determines whether they are drinkable, swimmable, fishable or otherwise safe for ‘beneficial uses.’ As of December 2016, the agency had checked about 80 percent of the state’s water and found 4,607 instances where water quality standards were not being met, landing them on the list.”
Setting such a great example for our kids. The Forum’s Archie Ingersoll writes: “Fardoso Mohamed had just walked into Hornbacher’s supermarket on Saturday afternoon when a man stopped her and told her: ‘Hey, you need to remove the hijab.’ … The man, a customer who looked to be in his 60s or 70s, was referring to Mohamed’s head covering, the kind worn by some Muslim women in public. … With her 1-year-old son in tow, Mohamed ignored the man. He, in turn, shouted at her, telling her not to enter the store. ‘He was very close to me, and he was yelling very hard, very mad,’ said Mohamed, who is pregnant.”
In other news…
Gopher football case update: “5 Gophers football players investigated in alleged sex assault are reinstated” [Pioneer Press]
This again? “St. Paul school staff member hit multiple times in cafeteria fight, needed medical attention” [Pioneer Press]
Was nearly put on a plane: “Chamroeun Phan, one of the Minnesota 8, gets a last-minute stay of deportation” [City Pages]
You knew this was coming: “Ooops! Could General Mills Bee Conservation Efforts Actually Harm the Environment?” [Small Business Trends]
All the thrill of reeling in a wet sock, but you can’t eat it: “Mille Lacs walleye: Catch-and-release all summer — plus a 3-week closure in July” [Pioneer Press]
Should help Delta execs get that preferential Mayo treatment: “Delta expanding service connecting Rochester, Minn., and Atlanta” [Star Tribune]
What’s going on in Fargo? “For second straight year, serious crimes up by dougle-digit percentage in Fargo” [Inforum]
Wow, yes: “The original plan for the Mall of America was bananas” [MPR]
Worrying: “Wisconsin DNR Says 7 Percent of Deer Tested Last Year Had Chronic Wasting Disease” [KSTP]
Dessa has a piece for the New York Times Magazine: “Wandering New Orleans After Seeing It From the Stage” [New York Times]
Haw about a tax credit for not poluting?
But no, they take the other route. Charge a fee and make electric less attractive. What next, a fee for riding your bike to work? No gas revenue there either. If paperboys still existed Republicans would “fee” them into Bankruptcy. Sorry kid, we’re gonna have to repo that bike.
Minnesota water quality
We might never know if Minnesota is making progress in improving water quality if SF 695 or its companion Bill in the House get passed into law. SF695 makes various actions of the MPCA relating to water quality, including “identifying or listing impaired waters” subject to additional administrative review by the Office of Administrative hearings. There’s a lot of other anti-environmental stuff in SF695 which cleared committee last week and was added to the Environmental Finance Omnibus Bill in the Senate.