The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be considering a tough pollution standard aimed at protecting wild rice, a staple for tribes in the state.

Three years of study have shown that run-off from mining operations essentially destroys wild rice. A tough standard, if adopted, will force the industry to change their practices.

“There will be a lot of screaming about this, I’m sure,” Nancy Schuldt, a water quality expert with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, told The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The MPCA is expected to convene a study group on the issue and make a final decision by the end of the year.

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Research, legal wrangling reap wild rice protections (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 2/26)