Weekly announcements and environmental review notices

Volume 49, Number 27 July 8, 2025

Announcements

EQB’s Climate Calculator now online

The calculator is now available at EQB's Climate Calculator webpage. In addition to the calculator, there is documentation including:

A factsheet with calculator background, goals, and FAQs
A summary of the project scope and methodology
A report detailing the data and decisions behind each emission source
A comprehensive user guide for getting started and troubleshooting
A link to two training recordings on EQB’s YouTube channel
A slide deck presentation for each training

EQB staff will continue to provide training opportunities throughout the summer; stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. If you have any question, concerns, or would like to arrange a training session for a group you are a part of, please reach out to Stephanie Aho at [email protected].

Updates to petition requirements

A legislative update to petition requirements was signed in to law and will go in to effect on July 1, 2025. This update will now require that a petition must be accompanied by “not less than 100 individuals who reside or own property in a Minnesota county where the proposed action will be undertaken or in one or more adjoining counties”. Starting July 1, all signatures for a petition must be from the same county or an adjoining county as the proposed project location. To be considered an adjoining county, the counties must be considered as connecting or sharing a border.

EQB staff have also updated guidance on submitting petitions. Staff have received an increasing percentage of incomplete petitions over the last five years and have now updated guidance and provided additional tools to assist those in submitting a complete petition. The guidance and new tools for submitting petitions can all be found on our petition webpage. A second phase will be coming later this year with an update to how to review petitions for RGUs.

Environmental Review Technical Assistance Survey

If you’ve completed an environmental review process since April 1, 2025 and submitted a notice for the Monitor, we want to hear from you! Tell us how we’re doing providing guidance and assistance by taking this short five-question survey. Your responses are for EQB use only and will help us provide better assistance for you in the future.

Gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor, Minnesota, green color, summer, Dryophytes versicolor.

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.

Liberty Classical Academy Expansion

Location: Hugo, May Township; Washington County
Process: Petition
Step: Environmental assessment worksheet (EAW) need decision

Responsible government unit decision: EAW not required
Responsible government unit decision date: July 2, 2025

Responsible governmental unit and contact: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
Dan Card, 651-757-2261

Upper Harbor Terminal

Location (city/township; county): Minneapolis; Hennepin
Process: AUAR update
Step: AUAR update adoption

Responsible governmental unit decision: Adequate
Responsible governmental unit record of decision date: June 10, 2025

Project description: The Upper Harbor Terminal Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) study area encompasses an area totaling approximately 53 acres in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The AUAR study area consists of 10 parcels, nine which are owned by the City of Minneapolis and one owned by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). United Properties, in partnership with Port of Minneapolis, LLC (First Avenue Productions and the Minnesota Orchestra), MPRB, and the City of Minneapolis, is proposing to redevelop the 53-acre Upper Harbor Terminal site, which was formerly used as a barge shipping terminal. The proposed development would include residential, hospitality, retail/service, office/employment, light industrial, community performing arts center (includes an outdoor amphitheater), and recreational land uses.

Location of public documents: City of Minneapolis, Public Service Building,
505 4th Ave S, Room 320, Minneapolis, MN 55415

Responsible governmental unit and contact: City of Minneapolis, Hilary Dvorak,
612-673-2639

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.

Date	Location	County	Waterbody	Species	Count
6/25/2025	Duluth	St. Louis	Pike Lake	Crappies, Bluegills, Sunfish	100+
6/28/2025	Duluth	St. Louis	Pike Lake	Sunfish	12+ a day

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:

Access the EQB monitor submission service

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].