Minnesota Environmental Quality Board

The Environmental Quality Board brings together the Governor’s Office (as chair), five citizens and the heads of nine state agencies that play a vital role in Minnesota’s environment and development. The board develops policy, creates long-range plans and reviews proposed projects that would significantly influence Minnesota’s environment.

Media releases

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• Panel sets course for water sustainability: Report includes 16 recommendations for action, further consideration, December 5, 2008. (Media release)
• State board presses for clean water, water-supply and wetlands initiatives: Environmental Quality Board adopts state water priorities, May 10, 2007. (Media release)
• Panel sees limits to state water supplies: State study finds metro counties near limits to sustainable water use, April 4, 2007. (Media release)

Notices

• Agendas and minutes: The Environmental Quality Board meets on a quarterly basis.
• EQB monitor: A bi-weekly publication announcing environmental review documents, public comment periods, and other actions of the Environmental Quality Board. | report details
• Calendar: A resource listing public meetings, hearings and deadlines for comment.
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• 2009 Amendments to Environmental Review Rules Now in Effect: Notice of 2009 Rule Amendments | Notice details
• Customer satisfaction survey: Provide feedback on services provided by the Environmental Quality Board and board staff, January 6, 2009. (HTML page) | Comment details

Ongoing projects and studies

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• Interagency water monitoring technical workgroup : An interagency group of water monitoring technical experts meets on a regular basis to ensure efficiency and interagency coordination. (Project record)
• State water plan: The Environmental Quality Board is charged with initiating, coordinating, and developing a comprehensive long-range water resources planning report, to be completed every 10 years. (Project record)
• Water Sustainability Technical Work Group: DNR leads team of expert hydrologists to evaluate tools for sustainability. (Project record)
• Water availability project: Enviromental Quality Board sets course for water sustainability. (Project record)
• Clean Water Cabinet: The Environmental Quality Board works with and through Clean Water Cabinet to accomplish its water mission. (Project record)
• Biennial water priorities report: Minnesota Statutes directs the Environmental Quality Board to coordinate state water programs and develop a biennial water policy and priorities report. (Project record)
• Water sustainability assessment: This assessment is used to create a framework for understanding potential constraints to future development through the routine estimation of water demand and its comparison to known supplies. (Project record)

Completed projects and studies

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• Amending the Environmental Review program rules - Phase 2: Amendments to Environmental Review Program Rules effective November 23, 2009. The "Phase 2" amendments, authorized for rulemaking on June 15, 2006 and adopted with modifications on June 18, 2009 by the EQB, were published in the State Register on November 16 and became effective on November 23, 2009. (Project record)
• Managing for water sustainability: report of the EQB Water Availability project: Calls for important new steps to protect the state’s water supplies, December 11, 2008. (1.1 M, PDF) | Report details
• Generic Environmental Impact Statement for animal agriculture: Study of effect of feedlots. (Project record)
• Annual Report 2006: Federal Programs for the Management of High-Level Radioactive Waste: The report also summarizes efforts by the federal government to locate and construct a national repository for high level radioactive wastes and addresses other issues related to management of such wastes. , July 5, 2007. (652.01K, .pdf) | Report details
• Protecting Minnesota's waters: priorities for the 2008-2009 biennium: Presents the combined work of the Environmental Quality Board and the Clean Water Cabinet in defining state water priorities for the current biennium, May 7, 2007. (594.1K, .pdf) | Report details
• Use of Minnesota's renewable water resources: Moving toward sustainability: Biennial state assessment of the availability of water to meet the state's long range needs, April 4, 2007. (506.16K, .pdf) | Report details
• Pressing natural resources issues for the LCCMR: At its September 21, 2006 meeting, the Environmental Quality Board approved a report on the state's pressing natural resources issues for submission to the Legislative Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources. (Project record)

Environmental Quality Board, 658 Cedar St., Suite 300, St. Paul, MN 55155