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Committee approves funding bill to replenish local road wetland replacement program
Summary
Senate File 1535 would provide one‑time and ongoing funding to replenish wetland replacement credits used for mitigation of locally owned road projects; committee recommended the bill and re‑referred it to the Capital Investment Committee.
The Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee on March 20 recommended approval of Senate File 1535, which would provide one‑time and ongoing funding to the Local Government Road Wetland Replacement Program administered by the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR).
Senator (chair) introduced the bill as an effort to replenish wetland credits and provide base funding for a program established in the 1990s that streamlines mitigation for local road improvements. Testimony from Kristen Foster of Otter Tail County, representing county engineers and associations, and Marcus (Mark) Culver, city engineer for Brooklyn Park speaking for the League of Minnesota Cities, described the program's role in allowing timely roadway and bridge work by providing wetland mitigation credits and noted the program has been chronically underfunded since 2017.
Kristen Foster said counties manage more than 44,534 miles of road and rely on the wetland replacement program to avoid project delays and to reduce costs; she told the committee several bank service areas had account balances near less than one year of demand. Mark Culver said the bill combines bonding dollars and general‑fund operating support to restore credits and provide a more predictable funding base so projects scheduled in coming years can proceed.
David Wirons of BWSR explained how the program works: when a qualifying local road project unavoidable impacts wetlands, BWSR identifies mitigation opportunities, negotiates easements with landowners, restores wetlands and monitors performance, and then allocates bank credits to local projects. Committee members discussed the geographic distribution of credits and that using out‑of‑area credits requires higher replacement ratios.
Senator Anne Johnson Stewart moved that the committee recommend Senate File 1535 and re‑refer it to the Capital Investment Committee; the committee approved the motion and the bill was re‑referred.
