ST. PAUL-Speaker of the Minnesota House Kurt Daudt appointed Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, to a task force which addresses issues related to materials which literally provide the foundation for our everyday lives but often are overlooked, a news release said Thursday.
The task force is officially known as the Aggregate Resources Task Force. It was created in 1998 to examine sustainable management of materials such as sand, gravel, clay, earth and bedrock. These substances are used to construct our transportation infrastructure, homes, offices, schools, factories and more.
Reports indicate the statewide annual demand for aggregates is over 50 million tons per year, an increase of about 50 percent since the early 1980s. That increase has outpaced previous projections, tapping mines sooner and causing mine operators to seek resources farther from where they are needed, the release said.
"Just look at what is happening right now in the north metro," said Lueck, who also is vice chairman of the House Subcommittee on Mining, Forestry and Tourism. "They are moving farther and farther north to find aggregate for construction projects. We must be strategic on how we manage these important resources and it starts with knowing what is there and understanding what the demand will be in the future."
The task force must study and provide recommendations to the Legislature prior to June 30, 2018.
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"We need a balanced approach," said Lueck, who in 2016 successfully authored legislation to extend the task force instead of allowing it to statutorily sunset. "We must ensure access and availability of these materials and not encumber them with unnecessary regulations."
