Kevin Dahle for Minnesota Senate (4)

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Governor calls Special Session

Published On: 6th October 2010 | Published By: Kevin Dahle For Senate

The Governor has called for a special session of the Minnesota legislature to be held Monday, October 11. Governor Pawlenty and key legislators have noted that we are likely to use a similar approach as was taken in 2007 with the Rushford flood. In that year, heavy rains in mid-August caused a rapid and dramatic rise of the Root River, and numerous homes, farms, and businesses in the Fillmore County community of roughly 2,000 were damaged.

Contained in that bill was a total of $146 million from the General Fund, the Petroleum Tank Clean-up Fund, the Trunk Highway Fund, bond proceeds, trunk highway bonds, and the State Transportation Fund.

Spelled out in the 2007 legislation were specific appropriations to flood relief, the departments of Public Safety, Transportation, Natural Resources, Employment and Economic Development, Education, Human Services, and Revenue, and the Board of Soil and Water Resources, the Pollution Control Agency, the Housing Finance Agency, and the Minnesota Historical Society,. There was also money appropriated for bond sales.

Federal Emergency Management Agency have been assessing the damage to homes, farms, and businesses. Governor Pawlenty has already asked President Obama to declare the region of southeastern Minnesota a disaster area. The Governor said that there is $235 million available at the end of this biennium that could be used for the flood-relief efforts. He also mentioned federal funding that was passed over this summer may be used for the 2010 relief efforts.

Last night, Representative Bly and I met with city officials to talk about the pending legislation. We have been in discussion with city officials, business owners, and residents affected to ensure that the special session and legislation will be able to provide the assistance needed to get our community back on track.

Tags: flood relief
Posted in Economy, Rice County | No Comments »

Cannon River Floods

Published On: 28th September 2010 | Published By: Kevin Dahle For Senate

Northfield and several communities in Southern Minnesota experienced unprecedented flooding due to the heavy rains this past weekend. So many community members, college and high school students and staff, shop owners and neighbors, joined together to help where needed. Sandbagging, distributing food and water, moving furniture and goods… a real lesson in civic participation …people coming together to do their best to hold off Mother Nature. Unfortunately, the river found its way over and around many of the man-made barriers, creating its own path to the Mississippi river leaving several homes and businesses in ruins. The National Guard stepped in early and stayed through much of the cleanup…which continues. City councils, homeowners, and business owners are assessing the needs and deciding what the next step will be. Cities and counties have been declared disaster areas. FEMA is assessing the damages in homes and businesses town by town. Governor Pawlenty has called for a special session to be held sometime around October 7-12. We will do our best, appropriating federal and state funds, to help our citizens and communities get back on their feet.

Posted in Kevin Dahle MN Senate District 20 | No Comments »

Ag Forum

Published On: 17th September 2010 | Published By: Kevin Dahle For Senate

This past Wednesday I was part of an Ag forum in New Prague to talk about Agriculture issues affecting District 25. Independent candidate John Grimm and Republican candidate Al DeKruif were also present at the forum sponsored by LeSueur County Farm Bureau, Pork Producers, Corn and Soybean Producers, and the Dairy Industry.

I am proud of the work I have done for district 25 and greater Minnesota. The Eminent Domain bill I authored in the Senate and eventually signed into law puts landowners and farmers on a much fairer playing field when dealing with the public utilities such as the CapX2020 project and the pipelines a few years ago. It was a bipartisan effort that involved a lot of local citizens who have been directly affected by the Public Utility exemption in the past.

I was the chief author of the bonding bill that sent $5 million dollars to the Minnesota Prairie Line railroad, a short line rail that is vital to the ag industry on the western side of my district.

On a broader scale, I believe agriculture policies must be enacted to allow farmers to receive a fair price through open markets. We need to create incentives and programs that encourage young people to become farmers. It is critical to maintain Minnesota’s family farm system of agriculture. Minnesota must be proactive in meeting the growing consumer demand for food that is family farm raised, locally grown, and identity preserved. We need to promote farming that benefits the environment. And finally, we need strong local communities that depend on strong local control. We should protect rural democracy. Local governments must maintain the right to put in place and enforce local planning and zoning ordinances.

Tags: agriculture
Posted in Economy, Environment, Le Sueur County | No Comments »

Roads, Rail, and the River

Published On: 28th August 2010 | Published By: Kevin Dahle For Senate

This past Thursday, after a couple of hours greeting State Fair visitors from the Minnesota Senate booth, I headed south to Savage to step aboard a barge for a trip down the Minnesota and Mississippi River towards St. Paul. The trip was sponsored by the Highway 169 Corridor Coalition as over 100 members made the 3 hour trip. We often think of the Hwy 169 corridor as roads and rail, but we cannot overlook the importance of the river in making this area a truly inter modal transportation network.

The 3 R’s (road, river, and rail) along Hwy 169 are economically vital for funneling freight into the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Region from the Mankato area and southern Minnesota. This area produces almost half of Minnesota’s corn, soybeans and ethanol, which makes Minnesota third in the nation for production among all states. Other major commodities moving along this corridor include aggregates, clay and sand, hogs, manufactured goods and food products. The corridor connects major producers of ethanol, biodiesel and their byproducts to markets and refiners along ‘ethanol alley,’ the southwest freight corridor formed by Highway 60 and the Union Pacific Railroad.

The Ports of Savage are important for grain exports via the Minnesota and Mississippi River systems, guaranteeing low-cost, competitive transportation to regional and world markets for Minnesota farmers. The corridor is expected to play a future role in expanding access from western Minnesota agricultural producers to the Ports of Savage via routes capable of bypassing Metro congestion. This is good news for the communities in my district along the corridor as we work to put together a long range plan of maximizing economic development for the area.

Tags: agriculture
Posted in Economy, Le Sueur County, Scott County, Transportation | No Comments »

Dog Days of August

Published On: 12th August 2010 | Published By: Kevin Dahle For Senate

Door knocking in August. A few more miles on the car….and a few more miles on the feet. Hot and sweaty…plenty mosquitoes. Another night away from the family. Despite these and a few other inconveniences, I actually enjoy door knocking. It is a great opportunity to meet my constituents.

They come in all shapes and sizes. Answering the door, “Agnes” blushed and apologized because of the curlers in her hair. “Doreen,” in her pajamas, is ready to turn in for the night. After all, it’s 8:15 pm. There are a lot of dog owners…and even more dogs, barking and clawing at the chance to meet the candidate, nervously standing on the stoop separated only by the flimsy screen door. Nurses, teachers, grandfathers, single moms, plumbers, accountants, business owners, veterans, lawyers, farmers, and dads, and the rest of you. Thank you for politely listening and taking my literature. Thank you for sharing your issues and concerns. Thanks for asking a few questions. Thanks for the Twins update. Thanks for offering me a drink of water. “Have a good evening!”

Campaigns are too long. Too many dollars are raised and spent. But nothing beats a little face time with the voters. Over the next 80 some days, we will see you at the doorstep.