SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


impacts and urged to consider them in regard to developments which
would stimulate or direct peat mining.
 "DNRCD can directly control essentially all of the impacts of peat
mining and most of the impacts of peat use, but DNRCD cannot unilater-
ally develop a state policy on peat in general. Although the Council of
State and the Cabinet would ultimately develop such a general policy, the
Energy Policy Council would likely be the initial interdepartmental forum
for discussions leading to a draft policy. Since energy needs and eco-
nomics usually drive the development of energy-related policies, it is
important that DNRCD use every appropriate opportunity in the council
to inform other agencies of the status of permitting and regulatory
issues.
 "DNRCD and the Department of Commerce should also cooperate
closely on the siting of peat-using industrial facilities.
 "During the past thirty-months, Commerce's Industrial Development
Division has worked very closely with DNRCD on the Peat Methanol
Associates project. This cooperation has apparently been satisfactory to
both departments and to the developer. It should serve as the model for
future cooperation, and such cooperation should become a matter of
routine.
14. Public Information and Education Program on Peat
 "A public information and education program on peat mining and
impacts should be developed and carried out.
 "This program should be designed to reach the general public, the
public schools, landowners in the peat region, and potential researchers.
A variety of approaches may be needed. The industry should be involved
in this effort. The Office of Natural Resource Planning and Assessment,
with assistance from the Division of Land Resources, should be assigned
responsibility by the Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources for devel-
oping and implementing the public information and education program
for peat.
15. Need for Permanent DNRCD Peat Working Group
 "A peat working group will continue to be needed within the depart-
ment to assure full coordination among divisions on permitting, monitor-
ing, research, and policy development.
 "A peat working group, appointed by the Assistant Secretary for Natu-
ral Resources and staffed by the Division of Land Resources, could serve
a significant portion of this work, as it is already established and
designed to handle intra-department coordination regarding the mining
permit. Strong coordination will be even more urgently needed in the
future, both to assure incorporation of other divisions' expertise in the
mining permit and to assure a coordinated permit package. Coordination
is needed beyond permitting issues per se, however. Monitoring and
research coordination should be closely related to permitting needs, but
the involvement of other issues may well necessitate the involvement of
personnel beyond the Land Resources peat working group. In these


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