Senate approves amendment and refers bill to map Minnesota aggregate resources to State & Local Government

The Minnesota Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee on March 13 adopted an amendment and recommended passage of Senate File 1751 to the State and Local Government Committee. Sponsor Senator Johnson Stewart said the bill implements recommendations from a 2018 Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) task force to map aggregate resources and to improve permitting and transparency on the aggregate production tax.

The measure funds mapping of aggregate resources for the 80 counties outside the seven‑county metropolitan area and would provide money to update the metro inventory. The bill uses the term “aggregate” to describe construction sand, gravel and crushed stone used in asphalt and concrete and in road bases. Testifying in support, Darren Lee, representing the Aggregate and Ready‑Mix Association, said local access to aggregate reduces transport costs and emissions and that the Minnesota Geological Survey’s last inventory indicated metro supplies could be exhausted by 2029.

Abby Bridal, executive director of the Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association, also testified in favor, saying local aggregate access is “the foundation of our roads” and urging action to protect sources and reduce transportation costs.

DNR mineral potential manager Heather Arens described the department’s aggregate mapping program and said the recommended funding level from the 2018 task force was $950,000 per year for a 10‑year effort to complete statewide mapping; current intermittent funding from the Legislative‑Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) supplies smaller, multi‑year grants.

Senators raised questions about local permitting language in the bill and whether mapping and any future permitting recommendations would be mandatory. Sponsor Johnson Stewart and testifiers said section 3 asks the DNR commissioner to consult stakeholders and return statutory recommendations to the legislature; it does not itself impose a county permitting mandate. Senator Green expressed concern about potential effects on private property rights and the bill’s proposed multi‑year appropriation; Heather Arens and Darren Lee said the mapping appropriation is based on the 2018 task force’s recommendation.

The committee adopted the author’s A4 amendment and then approved referral of the bill to the State & Local Government Committee by voice vote. The committee did not record individual roll‑call tallies in the transcript.