New Minnesota Pollution Control Commissioner Visits Duluth

About $500,000 is needed to complete the cleanup project at Rice's Point and the St. Louis River.

DULUTH, Minn. – The new Minnesota Pollution Control Commissioner visited Duluth to check out ongoing projects in the area.

This comes after Governor Walz included funding for pollution cleanup and climate–change outreach in his budget proposal.

The city of Duluth and the MPCA is involved in a multi–year effort to clean up around Lake Superior, but more money is needed to complete the project.

Long before modern environmental laws went into effect, mills and factories along the St. Louis River left the area heavily contaminated.

The pollutants in the river can still threaten public health and wildlife.

About $500,000 is needed to complete the cleanup project at Rice’s Point and the St. Louis River.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson believes the MPCA Commissioner’s visit is a great opportunity for everyone involved to understand the hardworking efforts to clean the area.

“Often, we as a greater Minnesota city find that we have to go to St. Paul to build that relationship,” said Mayor Larson.

“What’s great is that this is just a first of many expressions we are seeing from this administration and these commissioners of their commitment to move into the state of Minnesota themselves to see for themselves, to learn first–hand about the impact,” Mayor Larson continues.

The MPCA Commissioner says she wants nothing more than to help provide these opportunities for Duluth and other communities in Minnesota.

“Lake Superior is really the Jewel of Minnesota in so many ways,” said MPCA Commissioner Laura Bishop.

Bishop explains, “When I am looking out at the lake and looking out at this great resource that we have. We all want clean water, we all want our kids to be healthy in our environment.”

The St. Louis River cleanup effort is one of many projects within Duluth.

Mayor Larson believes this new relationship with the state will make strides for a better environment.

If approved, environmental funds set aside by Governor Walz would help continue the St. Louis River project for another two years.