Senate Ranking Member Torrey Westrom was critical of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency during his time on a legislative panel at MN Ag Expo. Too often, Westrom said MPCA has an agenda when regulating farmers. “It starts at the top,” said Westrom. “We need to get a governor, Republican or Democrat, that really takes this seriously so we can have permits processed faster, like in weeks or months, not years or decades.” The Elbow Lake legislator said neighboring states have a more farmer-friendly regulatory environment. “We can get there; we just need to revise, reform and change our culture in MPCA and other regulatory agencies.” Regarding the Rural Finance Authority, Westrom hopes it can be passed early in the session so it doesn’t get mired down in an omnibus bill at the end of the session.
