Environmental review project notices
EQB publishes environmental review notices provided by responsible governmental units. For more information on a project undergoing environmental review, click on the individual project links below. You can also find information about active projects in your community on the Environmental Review Projects Interactive Map.
Location (city/township; county): Stillwater; Washington
Process: EAW
Step: EIS need decision
Responsible governmental unit decision: Negative (EIS not ordered)
Responsible governmental unit record of decision date: January 16, 2024
Project description: Brown's Creek Watershed District proposes to conduct a stream habitat enhancement project in Brown's Creek to address floodplain abandonment, accelerated bank erosion, invasive species, and degraded instream habitat to restore the ecological and hydrologic functions of the creek and adjacent floodplain. The project will include reconnecting the creek with the floodplain, installing grade control riffles to limit channel incision, installing woody material and boulders for instream habitat, removing woody invasive species, and reestablishing native riparian vegetation. The project will be funded by a federal 319 grant administered by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and funds levied on property within the jurisdiction of the Brown's Creek Watershed District.
Link to public documents: Brown's Creek Restoration Project EIS need decision
Location of public documents: Brown's Creek Watershed District, 455 Hayward Ave N, Oakdale, MN 55128
Responsible governmental unit and contact: Brown's Creek Watershed District,
Karen Kill, 651-330-8220
Location (city/township; county): Fergus Falls; Otter Tail, Wilkin
Process: EIS
Step: Draft EIS
End of comment period: February 23, 2024
Project description: The Otter Tail to Wilkin Project consists of approximately 28.1 miles of 4-inch diameter CO2 pipeline and associated facilities in portions of Wilkin and Otter Tail counties. The Project would capture CO2 from the Green Plains Ethanol Plant near Fergus Falls and transport it to the North Dakota and Minnesota border south of Breckenridge. The Project would interconnect to a larger proposed CO2 pipeline network, referred to as the Midwest Carbon Express Project, to transport the CO2 to a sequestration area in North Dakota.
Link to public documents: Otter Tail to Wilkin Carbon Dioxide Project draft EIS
Location of public documents:
Breckenridge Public Library, 205 N 7th Street, Breckenridge, MN 56520
Fergus Falls Public Library, 205 East Hampden Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537
First public meeting date, time, location: February 6, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Breckenridge High School, 710 13th Street North, Breckenridge, MN 56520
First public meeting additional details: Public meetings start on time. Arrive a few minutes early so you have time to sign in, pick up materials and find a seat. Each meeting will last until everyone at the meeting has had an opportunity to speak or the scheduled meeting end time (9:00 pm), whichever occurs first.
Second public meeting date, time, location: February 7, 2024, 1:00 p.m., Bigwood Event Center, 925 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537
Second public meeting additional details: Public meetings start on time. Arrive a few minutes early so you have time to sign in, pick up materials and find a seat. Each meeting will last until everyone at the meeting has had an opportunity to speak or the scheduled meeting end time (4:00 pm), whichever occurs first.
Third public meeting date, time, location: February 7, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Bigwood Event Center, 925 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537
Third public meeting additional details: Public meetings start on time. Arrive a few minutes early so you have time to sign in, pick up materials and find a seat. Each meeting will last until everyone at the meeting has had an opportunity to speak or the scheduled meeting end time (9:00 pm), whichever occurs first.
Fourth public meeting date, time, location: February 8, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Online meeting
Fourth public meeting virtual link: Join online meeting
Fourth public meeting additional details: Join by Webex Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Webinar Number: 2494 264 2400 Webinar Link: https://bit.ly/CO2-DEIS-VirtualPublicMtg Webinar Password: Commerce1 (266637231 from phones and video systems) Join By Phone Telephone Number: 408-418-9388 Access Code: 2494 264 2400
Responsible governmental unit and contact: Minnesota Department of Commerce, Energy Environmental Review and Analysis, Andrew Levi, 651-539-1840
Location (city/township; county): Duluth; St. Louis
Process: Large AUAR
Step: Final order for review
Project description: The City of Duluth is preparing an AUAR for an approximately 80-acre area on the site of the former Central High School near Central Entrance and H. Courtney Drive in the City of Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota. Two development scenarios will be evaluated as part of the AUAR which include a business park scenario consistent with the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan, and a mixed residential and commercial use scenario.
Link to public documents: Central High School Redevelopment Project final order for review
Location of public documents: Department of Planning and Economic Development,
411 W. First St., Rm. 160, Duluth, MN 55802
Responsible governmental unit and contact: City of Duluth, Adam Fulton, 218-730-5580
Location (city/township; county): Rosemount; Dakota
Process: Large AUAR
Step: Final order for review
Project description: The AUAR study area encompasses an area totaling approximately 333 acres on 6 parcels located at County Road 42 and Emery Avenue E in the City of Rosemount, Dakota County, Minnesota. Project Mercury, LLC is proposing to develop the study area from existing farmland to data center or industrial, business park, and commercial uses. Two scenarios are proposed for evaluation in the AUAR. Scenario 1 includes multiple buildings for a total of 2.3 million square feet of proposed data center development. Scenario 2 includes multiple buildings for a total of 1,293,333 square feet of proposed light industrial, 646,667 square feet of business park, and 560,000 square feet of community commercial development. The proposed development within the AUAR study area is anticipated to begin in August 2024.
Link to public documents: Rich Valley East Industrial Development final order for review
Location of public documents: Rosemount City Hall, 2875 145th St W, Rosemount,
MN 55068
Responsible governmental unit and contact: City of Rosemount, Anthony Nemcek,
651-322-2090
Location: Dublin Township, Swift
Process: Alternative review
End of comment period: February 16, 2024
Notice title: Notice of Public Information Meetings and Comment Period
Notice description: PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) will hold in-person and remote access public meetings on the application of Dooley's Natural Gas II, (DNG or Applicant) for a Route Permit for their proposed Swift Natural Gas Pipeline Project (Project). Before a pipeline can be constructed, the Commission must issue a route permit for the project. DNG’s partial exemption application was accepted as complete by the Commission on December 20, 2023. The Commission’s partial exemption permitting process takes about 90 days. The public information meeting is intended to inform the public about the permitting process, to compile information to assist the Commission in determining whether to grant or deny the partial exemption application. If the Commission grants a partial exemption, it will issue a pipeline route permit.
Project description: On September 26, 2023, Dooley's Natural Gas II, LLC filed an application for a route permit and partial exemption from certain pipeline routing permit procedures with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission). The proposed project will include approximately 25 miles of four-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipeline and approximately three miles of two-inch HDPE pipeline (total of 28 miles of pipeline) and associated above-ground facilities and high compression outlet steel piping in Chippewa, Kandiyohi, and Swift counties, Minnesota. The Project will transport gas from four renewable natural gas (RNG) processing facilities that will be constructed to process the dairy farm methane extracted from the Meadow Star Dairy, East Dublin Dairy, Swenoda Dairy, and Louriston Dairy farms to a delivery point into Alliance Transmission Pipeline gas system.
Link to public documents: Swift Pipeline Project alternative review
Location of public documents: Benson Public Library, 200 13th St. N Benson, MN 56215
First public meeting date, time, location: January 30, 2024, 6:00 p.m., McKinney’s on Southside, 300 14th Street South, Benson, MN 56215
First public meeting virtual link: Join online meeting
First public meeting additional details: Public meetings start on time. For in-person meetings, arrive a few minutes early so you have time to pick up materials and find a seat. Citizens will have the opportunity to offer oral and written comments into the record. Staff from the Commission, the Department of Commerce, and Dooley's Natural Gas will be available to answer questions about the project and the review process. The same information will be presented at the in-person and remote-access meetings. In-person and remote-access meetings will last until everyone at the meeting has had an opportunity to speak. Comments received at the meeting and during the comment period will be used by the Commission to make a final decision in this case. To find out if a meeting is canceled due to bad weather or other reason call 1-855-731-6208 or
651-201-2213 or visit mn.gov/puc.
Second public meeting date, time, location: January 31, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Online meeting
Second public meeting virtual link: Join online meeting
Second public meeting additional details: WebEx (Meeting) Number: 2482 451 3775 WebEx Password: MNPUC Join by Phone: 1-855-282-6330 United States Toll Free Access Code: 2482 451 3775 If you are joining the meeting by WebEx and would like to ask a question or make a comment during the designated portion of the meeting, use the chat function to send a message to the meeting moderator. If you are joining the meeting by phone, press *3 on your phone. When it is your turn to speak, your line will be unmuted, and you will be able to ask questions and provide comments.
Responsible governmental unit and contact: Minnesota Public Utilities Commission,
Cezar Panait, 651-201-2207
Fish kill reports
Minnesota Duty Officer reports pertaining to fish kills are summarized in the following table, in accordance with 103G.216, REPORTING FISH KILLS IN PUBLIC WATERS, Subd. 2 Reporting Requirement. These reports were received via the Minnesota Duty Officer prior to the submission deadline for this edition of the EQB Monitor. They represent the raw data/information provided by callers. For more information regarding fish kills in Minnesota see the Department of Natural Resources. Call the Minnesota Duty Officer at 651‐649‐5451 or 800‐422‐0798 to report fish kills.
No fish kill reports were received since the last publication.
Submit a notice to the EQB Monitor
The EQB Monitor is a weekly publication announcing environmental review documents, public comment periods and other actions of the Environmental Quality Board. The EQB Monitor is published every Tuesday at noon. Submissions to the EQB Monitor are due by 4:00 p.m. on the Tuesday one week prior to the intended publication date. Please see the EQB Monitor schedule for more details.
To submit a notice for publication:
Questions? Contact EQB by phone at 651-757-2873 or email us at [email protected].
For more information on environmental review, please visit the EQB website or contact us at [email protected].
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