 Governor Mark Dayton has vetoed a bill that would nullify a water quality standard that's meant to protect wild rice, calling it an extreme overreach and would guarantee lawsuits. The legislation passed by the Republican legislature would have nixed a largely unenforced 1973 law limiting sulfate discharges into water where wild rice grows to 10 milligrams per liter. Supporters argued the standard is outdated and would cost mining companies hundreds of millions of dollars. Opponents argued those standards protect a food that has integral to Ojibwe culture. One of the bill's sponsors expressed frustration with the veto. I just asked the governor rethink what you've done. You literally have thrown a whole part of Minnesota under the bus on this standard that we've never enforced. So again I'm deeply disappointed but I will pledge to all the people of Minnesota we will continue. We will continue to get this mess cleaned up and fix this sulfite standard business. We cannot continue to throw our rural communities particularly the northeast under the bus as this veto has done. Governor Dayton did acknowledge that recent studies have questioned whether the limit was necessary in all wild rice waters especially when sulfate treatment can be costly for mining companies and municipalities. The Democratic governor says lawmakers have enough time to reach workable compromise before the legislature adjourns on May 21st.