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SAINT PAUL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE <br />TILLER <br />CORPORATION <br />MINNESOTA <br />CHAMBER Of <br />COMMERCE <br />METRO <br />CITIES <br />M"-S P <br />COMMERCIAL <br />HARRIS <br />MM et <br />Saint Paul <br />A int `Pao, <br />ASSOCIATIONNOF <br />RE LTORS' <br />F.os6iJv.: 4, P.M -. <br />BUILDERS <br />ASSOCIATION <br />oriret nN cmEs <br />,Illlllll=11111I IPYIN I Iuulwq. <br />MIPSEIM <br />S GM SYSTEMS Nca> <br />AGGREGATE Qtechnoiogy solution. <br />INDUSTRIES <br />GERDAU <br />)OHNSON BROTHERS <br />LIQUOR COMPANY <br />Joint Statement on Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area <br />Rulemaking Project <br />October 06, 2010 <br />For more than 30 years, multiple use of the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) has been <br />a high priority. Businesses, citizens, and local units of government have worked together to build a <br />balanced regulatory framework for the MRCCA. This balance provides for the enhancement of the <br />environmental and cultural characteristics of the MRCCA while ensuring that appropriate economic <br />uses are maintained. Great progress has been made It is imperative that the rules promulgated by the <br />Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reflect a necessary balance between these <br />interests. <br />Cities and businesses are concerned that additional restrictionsproposed by the DNR will undermine <br />important investments that have already been made and will inhibit future investment and reinvestment <br />in the MRCCA. Additional regulations stigmatize residential, commercial and industrial properties, <br />discourage, and even prohibit property owners from making necessary improvements or expanding <br />their buildings. The result will be reduced investment in properties, lower property values, and reduced <br />revenues that allow cities to pay for essential services. Cities and businesses know that additional <br />requirements imposed by more restrictive rules will work counter to both public and private efforts <br />designed to stimulate job growth, increase capital investment, and grow the local tax base. <br />Furthermore, the proposed draft standards are counter to the purpose of the MRCAA with respect to <br />the development of roads and park facilities. These important infrastructure investments, which <br />provide for the public use and enjoyment of the scenic and recreational resources of the MRCCA, will <br />be unnecessarily restricted. - <br />We urge the DNR to develop rules that recognize the multi -purpose nature of the river and to respect <br />the insight and knowledge of local units of government that have developed an effective regulatory <br />framework for the MRCCA. This will allow the DNR to strike a balance that preserves and enhances <br />the environmental, cultural, recreational, and economic functions of the Mississippi River within the <br />rules it promulgates. <br />Sincerely, <br />84 <br />