North Shore state parks could shut down in July as Senate GOP objects to ‘clean cars’ rule

A collection of elected officials in the Minnesota Senate say they would be willing to block funding for all of Minnesota’s state parks this summer, including the collection of parks on the North Shore, if the governor’s support for increasing the number of electric vehicles for sale in the state and reducing emissions standards doesn’t slow down.

During a conference committee on the omnibus environment bill May 4, multiple Republican senators told committee members they wouldn’t support the proposed budget bill unless the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) plan to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles in Minnesota and to allow for more electrical vehicles to be sold in the state is stopped.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with District 3A Rep. Rob Ecklund to find out the likelihood of the North Shore’s state parks shutting down this summer, possibly in July. The audio to their conversation is shared below.

To learn more the Senate’s version of the omnibus environment bill, click here.

For more information about the bill aimed at reducing emissions from vehicles licensed in Minnesota, click here.

In addition to shutting down the state parks, many operations of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the MPCA would be impacted by the funding shutdown.

The parks along the North Shore that could be shut down this summer include Gooseberry Falls, Cascade River, Judge Magney and a collection of other popular destinations near Lake Superior.

Joe Friedrichs May 7, 2021