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Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Program Frequently Asked Questions: Minnesot... Page 2 of 7 <br />Why was the corridor designated as a "Critical Area"? <br />The Critical Areas Act of 1973 (Minnesota Statutes ?116G) authorizes the <br />state to identify and plan for "areas of critical concern" that possess <br />"important historic, cultural, or esthetic values, or natural systems which <br />perform functions of greater than local significance." The original <br />designation order determined that coordinated planning under the Critical <br />Areas Act was needed to manage the corridor as a multi -purpose resource, <br />resolve conflicts related to the use of land and water, preserve and <br />enhance the area's natural, aesthetic, cultural and historic value for <br />public use, and protect the corridor's environmentally sensitive areas. The <br />MRCCA is the only critical area currently designated under the Act. <br />How is land development in the MRCCA currently regulated? <br />Land development is now managed by a new chapter of Minnesota Rules, <br />chapter 6106. Prior to adoption of the new rules in November of 2016, the <br />1979 Executive Order was the guiding document for local regulations for <br />over 30 years. The regulations in the Executive Order gave general <br />guidance to local governments, but had become outdated, ambiguous, and <br />difficult to administer. Development in the MRCCA was, and still is, guided <br />by local ordinances. Until local ordinances are updated to conform to the <br />new rules, the currently effective ordinances will remain in effect. In <br />communities that never adopted a local MRCCA ordinance, development <br />must conform to the regulations and standards of the Rules. <br />The Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Rules <br />Why did the DNR develop rules for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area <br />(MRCCA)? <br />The 2009 Legislature recognized that the 35-year old Executive Order that <br />regulated development in the MRCCA needed to be updated, and directed <br />the DNR to establish, by rule, new districts and standards. This initiated a <br />two-year participatory process that involved communities, interest groups, <br />http://www.dnr. state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/critical_area/fags.html 1/26/2017 <br />