Text: May 30, 2017The Honorable Michelle L. FischbachPresident of the SenateRoom 2113, Minnesota Senate Building95 University Avenue W.Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155Dear Madam President:Please be advised I have received, approved, signed, and deposited in the Office ofthe Secretary of State Chapter 93, Senate File 844.I am pleased that an agreement was reached on this bill since there were many items inthe original bill proposed by the Legislature that I found objectionable. Those items havelargely been removed or altered to my satisfaction, and the budget proposed in this billadequately funds environmental agencies to continue to protect the air, water, and land of ourstate. This bill also sufficiently funds the vital programs needed to allow Minnesotans to enjoyand utilize our state's abundant natural resources. Thank you for working with me to find apractical compromise.Through frequent discussions with stakeholders and legislators, we have togetherachieved an approach to keeping Minnesota's buffer law strong. The November 2017 deadlineto install water quality buffers on lands adjacent to public waters and the November 2018deadline for lands adjacent to public ditches will not change. Also, the Legislature and I workedtogether to provide additional flexibility to farmers and landowners who require financial andtechnical assistance to comply with the clean-water-buffer standards and are making good faithefforts with their local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).Under the new law, in the case of hardships a landowner commits to a compliance planwith their local SWCD by November 1, 2017, and has until July 1, 2018 to implement theirbuffer or alternative practice. The waiver allows up to eight months to work collaborativelywith their local SWCD to implement and approve alternative practices. The law was clarifiedon alternative practices to include the common practices the Board of Water Soil Resources(BWSR) adopted this spring and it clarifies that landowners can still work with their SWCD onindividual site specific practices.This bill leaves future work for the Legislature to address stable funding for SW CDsand to fully fund the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Rooted in our localcommunities, SW CDs support landowners' work to protect our soil and the quality of ourwater. They deserve and require certainty to retain staff and provide consistent services.While the Clean Water Fund meets immediate needs for SWCD funding, a long termsolution is needed. The CREP program will support landowners' implementation of buffers andwellhead protection to protect our lakes, rivers, and drinking water. The tradeoff to reduce myrequest for CREP funding in order to fund SWCDs through the Clean Water Fund wasdisappointing. However, I was very pleased to set up the possibility of a payback in the event ofa positive forecast in November. I expect that with a positive forecast, the Clean Water Fundpayback of $22 million will restore the remainder of my 2017 recommendations including$17 .25 million to CREP. Additionally, in 2018 I will be submitting a bonding request that willassure that CREP is fully funded. It would be my hope that we invest funds in CREP toleverage the maximum federal funding to support Minnesota farmers.There are many compromises on policy in this bill that will make some environmentaland citizen stakeholders unhappy. I am aware of these valid complaints and will continue to bewatchful for any future proposals that would erode public participation, jeopardize waterquality and environmental protection, prevent agencies from exercising science-baseddecisions, or intrusively legislate administrative requirements.Sincerely,Mark DaytonGovernorcc: Senator Paul E. Gazelka, Senate Majority LeaderSenator Thomas M. Bakk, Senate Minority LeaderSenator Bill Ingebrigtsen, Minnesota SenateRepresentative Kurt Daudt, Speaker of the HouseRepresentative Melissa Hortman, House Minority LeaderRepresentative Dan Fabian, House of RepresentativesThe Honorable Steve Simon, Secretary of StateMr. Cal R. Ludeman, Secretary of the SenateMr. Patrick Murphy, Chief Clerk of the House of RepresentativesMr. Paul Marinac, Reviser of Statutes