Minnesota Statutes

Minn. Stat. § 116D.03 (2026)

Action By State Agencies

✓ current as of May 2026

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Subdivision 1.Requirement.

The legislature authorizes and directs that, to the fullest extent practicable the policies, rules and public laws of the state shall be interpreted and administered in accordance with the policies set forth in sections 116D.01 to 116D.06.

Subd. 2.Duties.

All departments and agencies of the state government shall:

(1) on a continuous basis, seek to strengthen relationships between state, regional, local and federal-state environmental planning, development and management programs;

(2) utilize a systematic, interdisciplinary approach that will insure the integrated use of the natural and social sciences and the environmental arts in planning and in decision making which may have an impact on the environment; as an aid in accomplishing this purpose there shall be established advisory councils or other forums for consultation with persons in appropriate fields of specialization so as to ensure that the latest and most authoritative findings will be considered in administrative and regulatory decision making as quickly and as amply as possible;

(3) identify and develop methods and procedures that will ensure that environmental amenities and values, whether quantified or not, will be given at least equal consideration in decision making along with economic and technical considerations;

(4) study, develop, and describe appropriate alternatives to recommended courses of action in any proposal which involves unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of available resources;

(5) recognize the worldwide and long range character of environmental problems and, where consistent with the policy of the state, lend appropriate support to initiatives, resolutions, and programs designed to maximize interstate, national and international cooperation in anticipating and preventing a decline in the quality of the world environment;

(6) make available to the federal government, counties, municipalities, institutions and individuals, information useful in restoring, maintaining, and enhancing the quality of the environment, and in meeting the policies of the state as set forth in Laws 1973, chapter 412;

(7) initiate the gathering and utilization of ecological information in the planning and development of resource oriented projects; and

(8) undertake, contract for or fund such research as is needed in order to determine and clarify effects by known or suspected pollutants which may be detrimental to human health or to the environment, as well as to evaluate the feasibility, safety and environmental effects of various methods of dealing with pollutants.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 9 cases, 1977–2014 · leading case: No Power Line, Inc. v. Minnesota Env't Quality Council, 262 N.W.2d 312 (Minn. 1977).

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No Power Line, Inc. v. Minnesota Env't Quality Council, 262 N.W.2d 312 (Minn. 1977). · cites it 4× “Since the legislature directed, in § 116D.03, subd. 1, that "to the fullest extent practicable the policies, regulations and public laws of the state shall be interpreted and administered in accordance with the policies set forth in sections 116D.”

Iron Rangers for Responsible Ridge Action v. Iron Range Resources, 531 N.W.2d 874 (Minn. Ct. App. 1995). · cites it 4× “"The EAW is a brief document prepared in worksheet format which is designed to rapidly assess the environmental effects which may be associated with a proposed project" and to help determine "whether an EIS is needed.”

People for Env't Enlightenment & Responsibility (PEER), Inc. v. Minnesota Env't Quality Council, 266 N.W.2d 858 (Minn. 1978). · cites it 2× “To ensure that the MEQC would not sacrifice environmental protection in its attempt to site power plants and HVTLs as efficiently as possible, it required that “to the fullest extent practicable the policies, regulations and public laws of the state shall be interpreted and…”

Floodwood-Fine Lakes Citizens Grp. v. Minnesota Env't Quality Council, 287 N.W.2d 390 (Minn. 1979). · cites it 4× “The same concerns are expressed in Minn. Stat. § 116D.03, subd. 2(d) (1978).”

In Re the Greater Morrison Sanitary Landfill, 435 N.W.2d 92 (Minn. Ct. App. 1989). · cites it 2× “Minn.Stat. § 116D.03, subd. 1 (1986). Because it is designed to further the state’s strong environmental policy, the closure law is remedial in nature; therefore, it should be liberally construed to effectuate the legislative intent to protect the environment.”

Coon Creek Watershed Dist. v. State Env't Quality Bd., 315 N.W.2d 604 (Minn. 1982). · cites it 2× “Minn.Stat. § 116D.03, subd. 1 (1980). See Erickson v.”

Carl Bolander & Sons Co. v. City of Minneapolis, 488 N.W.2d 804 (Minn. Ct. App. 1992). · cites it 4× “Minn.Stat. § 116D.03, subd. 1 (1991). The mandate of section 116D.”

Allen v. City of Mendota Heights, 694 N.W.2d 799 (Minn. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 4× “” Minn.Stat. § 116D.03, subd. 1. Second, MEPA and the environmental-review rules specifically mandate that environmental review of projects take priority by prohibiting granting a permit, approving a project, or beginning a project until the environmental-review process is…”

Re: Declaring a Negative Need for an Env't Impact Statement for the Proposed Living Word Bible Camp Proj.. (Minn. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 2× “” Minn. Stat. § 116D.03, subd. 2(6) (2012).”

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