Minnesota doesn’t have a single board or commission that regulates gas production. Regulatory oversight and rulemaking responsibilities are distributed amongst different state agencies according to their legislatively defined roles and responsibilities. The 2024 legislation that gave DNR rulemaking authority over certain gas resource development topics also gave the authority to adopt or amend rules to several agencies, as summarized in the following table:
| Agency | Rulemaking Topics | Status | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| MN Dept. of Health | Rules on groundwater and surface water protection, exploratory boring construction, drilling registration and licensure, and inspections as they pertain to the exploration and appraisal of gas and oil resources. | Limited rulemaking for exploratory borings that encounter gas. | |
| Environmental Quality Board | Rules to establish mandatory categories for environmental review as they pertain to gas and oil production | Notice of intent to adopt rules scheduled for May 18 | |
| MN Pollution Control Agency | Rules regulating air emissions; water discharges, including stormwater management; and storage tanks as they pertain to gas and oil production | Chose not to write rules. MPCA believes that its current permitting procedures and rules will apply to gas projects | |
| Department of Labor and Industry | Rules to protect workers from exposure and other potential hazards from gas and oil production. | Chose not to write rules. |
Note that proposed legislation during the 2026 Minnesota Legislative Session would replace rulemaking authority provided in 2024 with new rulemaking authority for gas wells. This legislation also proposes to provide DNR authority to adopt or amend rules for leasing state-managed mineral interests for oil and gas exploration and development.