The 2019 hearing was so expensive for the Minnesota Department of Corrections — and so disruptive to daily operations of Stillwater prison — that the department discouraged a request from legislators to hold additional hearings at other facilities.
“It’s crazy that we’re getting into those questions,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Corrections Paul Schnell. “If we’re in the second-chance business, we need to make sure we’re providing second chances and not excluding people.”
GOP leaders have objected to the price tag, but Walz’s plan is well within the debt guidelines crafted a decade ago by the Office of Management and Budget under the administration of GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Kevin Pierard, who oversaw the permit at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said state officials asked him to submit concerns after a public comment period because, among other things, the critique would “create a good deal of press.”
The Star Tribune and MinnPost argue the public has “inherent interest” in learning about how the case is resolved and that such recordings would provide greater transparency and ensure accurate reporting.
More than 150 people have applied so far for the new 15-member committee created to help the governor create and implement climate change policy.
“We have to assess what the best strategy is for building support for ultimate passage rather than try to rush something through before it is ready,” says DFL House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “Or creating a lot of opposition unnecessarily.”
Launched Tuesday, the Reformer is the 15th entry in the States Newsroom network, a national nonprofit based dedicated to in-depth statehouse coverage.
The court’s decision is a setback for the proposed copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes, but it’s far from the only potential problem. PolyMet is facing additional litigation, including a case over a water permit that will go before a district court next week.
The governor answers 10 questions (more or less) on the one-year anniversary (more or less) of being sworn in as the 41st governor of Minnesota.
Opponents of the five-year limit said that while they favor reform, the process for adopting it has been rushed.
Beltrami County recently made news for voting not to accept refugees. No refugees had chosen to settle there in the last 10 years.
While EVs are becoming more popular, home charging is still rare in multifamily housing, and correcting that imbalance has increasingly become a priority for state officials, environmental groups and Xcel Energy.
Republicans believe the economy will get better, compared with just 5 percent of Democrats.
Minnesota is likely to lose one of its eight seats in U.S. House after reapportionment, though there’s a slim chance the state could avoid that fate.
From PolyMet to presidential politics, a look at the top environmental issues in Minnesota heading into 2020.
As 2019 closes, a look at every significant date in 2020 for politics in Minnesota (and beyond).
The deal struck to end the 2019 Legislature used $491 million out of Minnesota’s rainy day fund to keep the state’s books in the black, creating a precedent that budget writers will have to deal with going forward.
Twin Metals submitted a plan to regulators Wednesday for a copper-nickel mine on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, formally kicking off what is likely to be a multi-year environmental review process.
The project has garnered national media attention and even become a wedge issue in the presidential campaign. And that was before Twin Metals Minnesota submitted its official operating plan for review.
