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Information on Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, Task Forces, and Commissions

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library


Livestock Industry Environmental Steering Committee

Also known as:
Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)
Active dates:1998-2002
Function:

The committee will create a generic environmental impact statement, which will examine the long-term effects of the livestock industry in the present and future on the economy, environment, and way of life of Minnesota and its citizens. The study may address: an overview, environmental issues, economic issues, and the role of government in regulation of animal agriculture in Minnesota.

History:

The Citizens Advisory Committee (Steering Committee) met over 30 times - monthly from July 1998 through November 2001, usually for two days at a time. Each meeting was conducted by a trained and neutral facilitator from the Management Analysis Division of the Minnesota Department of Administration. In August and September of 2001 the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) conducted eight public meetings around the state to obtain citizen input on the public review draft. More than 300 people gave oral testimony and about 150 written comments were received. A dozen technical work papers were produced. The resulting document, the proposed final GEIS, was presented to the EQB on December 10, 2001. It is also posted on the EQB Web site.

The following two paragraphs are from the executive summary for the 2002 final report linked to below:
"The Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Animal Agriculture consists of the Final GEIS Summary Document, a Literature Research Summary, and a number of Technical Work Papers. The GEIS is a statewide study funded by the 1998 Minnesota Legislature. The Environmental Quality Board was directed to '...examine the long-term effects of the livestock industry as it exists and as it is changing on the economy, environment, and way of life of Minnesota and its citizens.' The GEIS process provided a full public examination of the critical environmental, economic and social factors of animal agriculture through an open stakeholder-guided process. It also resulted in policy recommendations and a wealth of objective information for decision-makers.

The need for this study grew out of the controversy surrounding feedlots in Minnesota in the 1990s. As the number of new and expanding large-scale confinement animal production facilities increased, the same issues were raised repeatedly. Concerns were expressed about potential contamination of the air, and surface and ground water, and the economic and social impacts." (p. 5)

Membership:

Representatives for the livestock industry, environmental interests, and other stakeholders.

The chair of the EQB appointed a 25-member Citizens Advisory Committee selected from diverse interests to achieve a balance of viewpoints. Each member was asked to name one or two alternates. A list of members and alternates is provided in Appendix D of the final report below.

Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 2002.
Record last updated: 07/25/2023
 

All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.

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