News Room

Duluth News Tribune | March 31, 2025

“Paula Maccabee, executive director and counsel for environmental group WaterLegacy, celebrated the court’s decision.

“It’s just a very simple opinion, it’s really easy to understand, and basically, it’s telling the MPCA, ‘You did the right thing to regulate, and you’re not stuck with that equation that was thrown out by the administrative law judge,'” Maccabee said, referring to the MPCA’s previous attempt at replacing the 10 ppm sulfate limit with a formula that would have included the water’s organic carbon and iron content. The agency withdrew its rule change proposal in 2018 after an administrative law judge said it was “unconstitutionally void for vagueness.””

Ampers / North Star Stories | March 14, 2025

“The appeal court’s ruling now faces an uncertain future as the case moves to the Minnesota Supreme Court, the outcome remains pivotal. This could either stand as a significant step toward legal accountability and heighten scrutiny on these issues, or it could be reversed, leaving critical environmental and safety concerns unresolved.”
—R. Vincent Moniz Jr.

R. Vincent Moniz Jr. of Ampers / North Star Stories spoke with WaterLegacy Executive Director and Counsel Paula Maccabee about WaterLegacy’s ongoing litigation on Mile Post 7.

Opinion by Mike Maleska for Duluth News Tribune | February 18, 2025

“Hay Lake is a water body I’ve known well for 60 years. […] As kids, a good friend of mine and I hunted, roamed, fished, and explored all over this area.

I remember the water entering Hay Lake was clear. There was a beautiful long sandbar and behind that sandbar was where the wild rice beds began, spreading around the west and south sides of the lake and continuing down Hay Creek.

For decades now, though, the water has come to appear tan with a hint of greyish green; it is definitely not clear.”