Executive Order 15-15 creates Committee to advise Pollution Control Agency
ST. PAUL, MN - Governor Mark Dayton has taken executive action to ensure citizen engagement in environmental regulatory decisions. Executive Order 15-15, signed today by Governor Dayton, creates the Governor's Committee to advise the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The Committee will provide input and recommendations prior to certain regulatory decisions made by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). It will be chaired by the Commissioner of the MPCA and include eight citizen members serving four-year terms. It will meet on a regular basis to guide the direction and enforcement of the state's environmental protection laws.
"As regulators make decisions, and enforce our state's environmental protection laws, Minnesota citizens need and deserve a seat at the table," said Governor Dayton. "I am proud to sign this Executive Order today, and look forward to appointing a group of qualified, committed citizen leaders to carry out this important work."
The Committee will provide recommendations and advise the MPCA Commissioner in four main areas, including:
- Reviewing scoping and adequacy of environmental review documents including environmental assessment worksheets and environmental impact statements;
- Issuance, reissuance, modification, or revocation of certain permits;
- Adoption or revision of agency rules; and
- Requests for a variance from an agency rule.
"Citizen engagement is important for transparent and deliberate decision making," said Pollution Control Commissioner John Linc Stine. "Ensuring citizens have a voice in how our laws are enforced greatly enhances our efforts to protect and improve the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land and resources we all depend on to maintain a high quality of life in Minnesota."
/governor/assets/EO_15-15.pdf_tcm1055-92938.pdfThe Executive Order in its entirety can be found on the Governor's website.
Minnesotans Encouraged to Apply
Governor Dayton encourages Minnesotans to apply to serve on the Committee, by submitting an official application through the Open Appointments process. The Open Appointments process is coordinated by the Secretary of State's Office, which is required to publish a list of vacancies every month and send applications to the appropriate appointing authority. Applicants complete an
Open Appointments Application form and are asked to attach a resume or biography to the application.
