Iron Range DFLers Want DNR To Sue Over BWCAW Fire
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- Iron Range lawmakers want the DNR and Minnesota attorney general to sue the U.S. Forest Service over its management of a fire burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
The five DFL legislators say the state of Minnesota owns thousands of acres of forest that were burned by the fire. They argue that because Forest Service officials chose not to put the fire out immediately when it began in August, they should be held accountable for the loss of valuable state resources.
State timber sales help fund the state's K-12 schools.
It is unclear how much of the roughly 93,000 acres burned was state land.
A DNR representative declined to comment to Minnesota Public Radio News, saying the agency had yet to receive a formal request from the lawmakers.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
