Senate committee backs bill to require tribal notice of sewage releases

Senate File 45-25 was introduced March 24 to require that tribal governments be notified when untreated or partially treated sewage is released into downstream waters.

The bill sponsor, Senator Cornish, told the Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee the measure would ensure "tribal government should be among those notified of sewage releases" so tribes can take protective action such as avoiding swimming or protecting drinking water supplies. The sponsor framed the bill as implementing a governor recommendation and said existing law already requires notifying downstream users but that tribal leaders reported some missed notifications.

Miss Silas Donuts, testifying for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, said the measure is an agency bill and that the change resulted from tribal consultation and other conversations in which tribal governments said they were sometimes missed during notifications. "This is an effort to right that wrong and to ensure that tribal governments do receive that notification so that they're able to protect public health," the MPCA witness said.

The sponsor referenced existing statutory language in the hearing transcript ("Minnesota Statute. 1, 1, 5.0, 0, 6, 1, C") and said the bill would align tribal notification with notices already sent to downstream drinking-water facilities and local governments.

Committee action: a senator moved that Senate File 45-25 be recommended to pass; the committee voice-voted the motion and the chair announced the motion prevailed.

The committee forwarded the bill with a recommendation to pass.