Associated Press: U.S. Senate passes St. Croix bridge bill
The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a bill clearing the way for a new bridge over the St. Croix River near Stillwater.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, led efforts in the Senate to pass the bill. It now goes to the U.S. House.
Klobuchar said the bill has bipartisan support. The bill is co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota and Wisconsin Sens. Herb Kohl, a Democrat, and Ron Johnson, a Republican.
The bill would exempt the proposed bridge from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
In a statement, Klobuchar said the current 80-year-old Stillwater Lift Bridge is "outdated for the needs of the region."
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota said a compromise will be needed in the House, because she says a bridge that size is "bad fiscal policy, bad transportation policy and bad environmental policy."
