The Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee on April 1 recommended passage of Senate File 2735, a bill that would let the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources tag abandoned and derelict watercraft and remove them from public waters and public lands if the owner does not claim the vessel within a 14‑day notice period.

Supporters said the measure closes an enforcement gap that has left large, decaying boats along the St. Croix River and other waterways, creating navigation and environmental hazards while local governments shoulder removal costs.

Senator Seaburger, the bill’s author, told the committee the measure was prompted by a 54‑foot yacht that has been abandoned on Birken Island since July 2024 and has accumulated more than $44,000 in fines. "You may have seen the news about a 54 foot yacht abandoned and beached on the Saint Croix River on Birkin Island," Seaburger said, describing cross‑border coordination with Wisconsin and Minnesota as part of the bill’s impetus.

The committee adopted an A2 author’s amendment that broadened the bill to cover not only public waters but also public lands, and to give the DNR authority and tools to remove vessels and recover costs. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Grecki, assistant director for the DNR Enforcement Division, told senators the DNR supports the bill and the amendment, saying it would create a statewide process for notifying owners, giving them time to remove vessels, and—if owners do not—allowing the state to remove and properly dispose of hazards while recovering removal costs for a dedicated account.

Representatives of the recreational boating industry also testified in support. Jesse McCardle, senior manager of government relations for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, said Minnesota ranks second nationally for boat registrations and that the industry supports the bill’s tagging, notification and removal provisions. He urged the legislature to consider stable funding for the abandoned and derelict boat program, noting states that set aside dedicated funds have higher success rates for removal and recycling.

Mayor Rich O'Connor of Hudson, Wisconsin, testified remotely about local costs and environmental consequences. He said the large yacht in the St. Croix had leaked gasoline and other pollutants when it submerged and that a private removal firm estimated the cost to pull and transport a vessel that size at about $25,000. "If people see that nothing is done here, this is going to proliferate," O'Connor said.

Committee members pressed on several details: whether DNR staff could enter private property (testimony clarified DNR would not go onto private property unless a complaint established the vessel posed an abandoned or neglected hazard); whether 14 days is sufficient (DNR said it would work with owners showing good faith); and how many boats are abandoned annually (DNR estimated roughly 40 per year, describing that as an estimate). Some senators raised concerns that the bill's penalties were broad and could be seen as an overreach; supporters said the bill is designed to provide deterrence and a mechanism for cost recovery rather than to unduly punish legitimate owners.

The committee adopted the A2 amendment by voice vote and then recommended Senate File 2735 as amended be referred to the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. The committee recorded the motion as prevailing after a voice vote.

Looking ahead, the bill moves next to the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, where advocates, local officials and DNR staff said they expect to discuss funding for removals and the bill’s enforcement language.