DNR sued over shore-land rules

02/27/2007

Dennis Lien
Pioneer Press


A St. Paul-based environmental group has sued the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for not making voluntary shore-land guidelines mandatory across the state.

In a lawsuit filed last week with the state Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy contends the DNR's decision last month was arbitrary and capricious. The guidelines were developed for a five-county area in central Minnesota and were completed a year ago.

Saying existing rules are outdated, MCEA asked the DNR to apply the new standards statewide. The DNR, however, turned down the request, saying the guidelines always had been portrayed as being voluntary. The agency said it plans to begin developing a statewide plan soon.