Good Tuesday morning. Here's your Digest.
1. Setback for Polymet mine project. The Minnesota Court of Appeals dealt a blow Monday to the PolyMet copper-nickel mine project, overturning three key state permits issued to the project — and requiring the state to conduct a hearing before it works to reissue those permits. In one of several legal challenges to the northern Minnesota mine, eight different groups had asked the court to overturn a permit to mine and two dam safety permits that were among several the state Department of Natural Resources granted to PolyMet in November of 2018. While the decision doesn’t completely stop the project, it will likely mean a significant delay, and requires state regulators to reissue key approvals for the controversial project before PolyMet can move forward with construction. MPR News
2. Judge orders immediate purge of Wisconsin voter rolls. A Wisconsin judge on Monday found the state’s bipartisan elections commission to be in contempt and ordered it to immediately begin removing up to 209,000 names from the state’s voter rolls or face fines for each day it doesn’t. Judge Paul Malloy said in his ruling that “time is of the essence in this case” and cannot wait for an Appeals Court or the state Supreme Court to decide the case. He also seemed peeved that commissioners hadn’t already begun purging the voter names.“I cannot be clearer on this. They need to follow the order,” Malloy said. The Associated Press
3.Republicans lay out legislative priorities. Tax cuts, prescription drug imports and a bonding bill heavy on road and bridge projects will be among the priorities Republicans in the Minnesota Senate will push for the 2020 session, leaders said Monday. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, broadly outlined the GOP agenda during a news conference in St. Paul. He said details will emerge during committee hearings once the session begins next month.“[For] some things we have pretty firm in our minds where we’d like to go. Other things we realize that there needs to be more conversation,” Gazelka said. Lawmakers have a projected $1.3 billion budget surplus to work with, and Gazelka said he wants to give some of the surplus back to taxpayers. MPR News
4.Walz unveils capital plan for colleges. DFL Gov. Tim Walz on Monday announced $447 million in proposed borrowing for projects on college campuses throughout the state. Walz made the announcement at Anoka-Ramsey Community College as part of a series of presentations highlighting the major areas of his bonding proposal, which is expected to reach about $2 billion. A final announcement on public safety-related projects is expected Wednesday. Republicans have already criticized the governor’s proposal for being too big. Walz said during a news conference Monday that investments are needed to build, repair and upgrade higher education facilities so the state doesn’t fall behind. “If we neglect the workforce that we have, if we neglect looking towards the future, the entire state will suffer economically. We’ll suffer culturally, and on an individual basis. Not providing those opportunities for folks to live their fullest potential is simply not the way Minnesotans go,” he said. MPR News
5. Revolving door concerns. A former Republican state legislator has registered as a lobbyist just one month after leaving office, sparking fresh calls to update Minnesota’s conflict-of-interest laws. Former Rep. Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River, resigned from his seat in December, citing a desire to spend time with his family and pursue private sector work following a recent surgery for a lifelong heart condition. On Friday, he filed paperwork to represent two clients — the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and the South Dakota-based Sanford Health — as a paid lobbyist for The Jacobson Law Group. Experts on ethics in government say the quick transition from public official to paid lobbyist can raise questions about access and give moneyed interests a leg up in influencing legislation. Star Tribune | 