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authority to regulate and even prohibit <br />private wells by local ordinance. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports current law that <br />authorizes cities to protect public health <br />and safety through local controls <br />regulating or prohibiting private wells <br />being placed within municipal water <br />utility service boundaries and would <br />oppose any changes to law to remove that <br />authority. <br />SD-27. Sustainable Development <br />Issue: Minnesota cities spend significant <br />time and resources planning for growth, <br />development, and redevelopment that will <br />best serve the future needs of their residents. <br />Numerous factors are considered as part of <br />that process, but an area of increasing <br />interest involves concepts often categorized <br />as "sustainable development." Minn. Stat. § <br />4A.07, subd. 1(b), defines this term, as it <br />pertains to local government, to mean <br />"development that maintains or enhances <br />economic opportunity and community well- <br />being while protecting and restoring the <br />natural environment upon which people and <br />economies depend. Sustainable <br />development meets the needs of the present <br />without compromising the ability of future <br />generations to meet their own needs." <br />Cities play a key role in fostering <br />sustainable development and other <br />conservation practices due to their role in <br />land use planning and zoning, stormwater <br />and wastewater management, and local <br />economic development. Local governments <br />can take a lead on these issues by choosing <br />to incorporate aspects of sustainable <br />development into their local operations and <br />facilities. They can also develop local <br />policies and regulations that support and <br />guide individual and private sustainability <br />efforts. The ability of a city to affect these <br />30 <br />changes can, however, be restricted by <br />policies and requirements imposed by other <br />levels of government. <br />Sustainable development initiatives can <br />cover a wide range of issues, but share the <br />benefit of lessening the future environmental <br />impacts of communities on the land, air, and <br />water in their area. Lakes, streams, rivers, <br />wetlands, wildlife habitat, shoreland areas, <br />and other natural resources can be protected <br />and enhanced in quality through local <br />efforts. Energy efficiency and renewable <br />energy production reduce the energy <br />demands of a community and the <br />environmental impacts of energy <br />production. By more efficiently using public <br />infrastructure and minimizing resource <br />consumption, the costs to individuals, <br />business, and government can be reduced. <br />New and expanded business and job <br />opportunities are also generated by the <br />"green" products and services needed to <br />implement sustainable development <br />initiatives. The ideal result of well -planned <br />sustainability, natural resources <br />management, and conservation efforts is a <br />city that is more efficient in the use of its <br />resources and infrastructure, creates fewer <br />environmental problems for future <br />generations to address, and is a more <br />desirable home for residents and businesses. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports federal, state, and <br />regional efforts to promote sustainable <br />development where the effectiveness of <br />the proposed practice is supported by <br />sound science, and as long as those efforts <br />do not supersede the authority of local <br />governments to determine their own <br />policies regarding land use and related <br />issues. <br />Providing technical assistance and <br />financial incentives, and streamlining <br />regulations to encourage local <br />