Laserfiche WebLink
9 <br /> <br />III. Statements from Governors <br />Governor Dayton: <br />I want to thank our Task Force's Co-Chair, Governor Doug Burgum, for his excellent leadership <br />throughout this process. We have forged a good working partnership, which will be important for <br />this and other collaborative projects, involving our two states. <br />I also thank the Task Force Members for their tremendous work. Their dedication was the key to <br />our successful completion. And I greatly appreciate the enormously important contributions made <br />by Members of the Technical Advisory Committee, by North Dakota and Minnesota agency experts, <br />and by our two staffs. This was a team effort all the way. <br />The many important considerations that were presented from a wide range of stakeholders and <br />experts provide a framework for moving forward on flood risk management for the Fargo- <br />Moorhead region. Just as important was the model we established for a truly inclusive, collaborative <br />process, rather than its one-sided, adversarial predecessor. <br />Reliable and effective flood protection for the cities of Moorhead and Fargo and their surrounding <br />regions is essential. It is a prerequisite for successful future economic growth, business expansion, <br />job creation, and social vitality. Yet it cannot come at the excessive sacrifice of other people's lands, <br />lives, and livelihoods. For a project of this magnitude and complexity, those considerations are also <br />essential. <br />It would be naive to believe that such a re-routing of massive amounts of water throughout widely <br />divergent climate conditions over the next one hundred years and beyond could avoid any negative <br />impacts on someone. That is why it is so critical to have the different stakeholders represented in <br />this public process. For Minnesota, that would mean representation on the Diversion Authority <br />from the areas both north and south of Fargo-Moorhead, in addition to the Members from those <br />two cities. For the sake of continuity, it would be most desirable to add to the Authority Board <br />individuals, who have served on this Task Force. <br />The project that was previously submitted to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources did <br />not meet our state's laws and regulations. Minnesota is committed to helping identify a solution, but <br />major changes must be made to the proposed project. <br />I am hopeful that the Task Force’s work has provided guidelines for the Authority's re-fashioning of <br />its previous proposal to meet those laws and regulations. I emphasize that the necessary approvals <br />will be decided by the Minnesota DNR, in accordance with those requirements and without <br />interference by myself or anyone else. The active participation on the Task Force by the DNR's <br />Commissioner and technical experts should not be construed as predetermining their permitting <br />decisions. <br />There are other critical components of the project, which were not made known to the Task Force. <br />Most important is the just compensation for any losses, temporary or permanent, suffered by any <br />landowner, business, or other entity, resulting from the project. Committing publicly that fair <br />compensation will be provided without delays or difficulties, is, in my view, absolutely necessary