Minn. representative seeks trading, not sale, of school trust lands in Boundary Waters; committee lays bill over

Representative Scraba presented House File 1425, saying the bill would bar the sale of state-owned school trust lands inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and instead require land exchanges under federal law.

The bill’s author, Representative Scraba, said the intent “is to stop the sale of the land inside the Boundary Waters” and to pursue trades under the federal Wilderness Act of 1964 rather than take a cash sale. He told the committee that revenue from mineral production near Virginia, Minnesota, supports local schools and that he could not support what he described as a low offer for the lands in question.

The committee heard testimony from the Office of School Trust Lands and the Department of Natural Resources, which urged caution or opposition to the bill. Aaron Vandelein, School Trust Lands Director, told members the office opposes HF 1425 and reminded the committee that the trust exists to secure “the long term maximum return” for Minnesota schoolchildren. Vandelein said sales of these particular lands would…