Petition Update — December 2025
Thank you to everyone who has signed and supported this petition. It has been a long road — in every sense — and we want to share where things stand and what has occurred over the past year.
Over the last 11 months, residents have been actively engaged in the environmental review process for the East Side Corridor while also attempting to obtain basic project information needed for meaningful public participation. During this time, multiple public data requests were submitted to Steele County seeking the studies, analyses, and communications underlying the project.
When access to that data was repeatedly delayed and denied, residents filed a formal Minnesota Government Data Practices Act complaint against the County. While that case was pending, the County opened the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) public comment period — despite residents still lacking access to key data necessary to review and respond to the project.
Residents substantially prevailed in that case. The Administrative Law Judge ordered:
Maximum civil penalties
Compliance with the law
Payment of court costs and fees
Even after this ruling, the EAW comment period remains open without residents having full access to the underlying project data. This places the public in the position of being asked to comment on a complex infrastructure project without the information required to do so in an informed and meaningful way.
Throughout this process, residents have continued to attend meetings, submit comments, document inconsistencies, and raise concerns about transparency, environmental impacts, and decision-making that appears to have been advanced before environmental review was complete.
As of now:
The EAW comment period is scheduled to close December 31, unless extended
Key project data remains unavailable to the public
This petition and its signatures will be submitted as part of the official record
Your continued support matters. This petition reflects not just opposition to poor planning, but a sustained request for lawful process, transparency, and accountability. Regardless of the outcome, this record will document that residents showed up, asked questions, and insisted on being heard.
Thank you for staying engaged — and for walking this long road with us.