10-10-13 dnr-economic development

MANITOWOC, Wis. (AP) — An official with the state Department of Natural Resources says the agency is trying to be more business-friendly even as it works to protect the environment.  DNR spokesman Russ Rasmussen made the comments in Manitowoc on Monday to a group called Business Connects with Government.  Rasmussen says the DNR is trying to move from saying, "No, we have to protect the resource," to finding a compromise between environmental protection and economic development. He says the agency wants to find solutions that benefit both the outdoors and developers.  Rasmussen also says the DNR is working with federal officials to help clean up so-called brownfield sites. Those are abandoned or underused commercial sites where development has been hindered due to actual or perceived contamination.