FLT CREW OF CRJ FEEL COMPANY WAS PRECIPITOUS IN DECLARING A FUEL EMER WITH ATC.

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WE WERE RERTED ON A DIFFERENT ARR WHICH REQUIRED A NEW ALTERNATE ON THE 'N SIDE' VERSUS 'S SIDE' OF MSP. WE WERE IN CONSTANT ACARS CONTACT WITH COMPANY AND UPDATED THEM WITH FUEL ON BOARD AND FUEL ON ARR. COMPANY DISPATCH NEEDED TO RECALCULATE DLH AS AN ALTERNATE (OR PERHAPS DLH AND ANOTHER ALTERNATE). OUR ORIGINAL ALTERNATE WASN'T ACCEPTABLE WITH OUR 'NEW' ARR ROUTING. THE ORIGINAL ALTERNATE WAS RST (S SIDE OF MSP). AT THIS POINT; WE HAD BEEN RECLRED ON OUR ORIGINAL FLT PLANNED ARR. THIS WAS COMMUNICATED TO THE COMPANY. A FEW MINS LATER; CTR NOTIFIED US THAT OUR COMPANY HAD DECLARED AN EMER ON OUR FLT DUE TO LOW FUEL. WE CLARIFIED THAT WE WERE NOT HAVING AN EMER AND THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION AT DISPATCH. THE COMPANY WAS UPDATED THROUGHOUT THIS CONSTANTLY WITH FUEL REMAINING; FUEL ON BOARD; AND FUEL ON ARR -- WITH FUEL ON ARR AT 2600 LBS; WHICH EQUATES TO 80 MINS OF RESERVE/CONTINGENCY FUEL. DISPATCH WAS SERIOUSLY CONFUSED ON THE DECLARATION OF EMER FUEL CONDITION WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE TO THE FLT CREW. AT NO TIME WAS THE SAFETY OF THE FLT JEOPARDIZED. AT NO TIME WERE WE NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE COMPANY. AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING; COMPANY IS RESEARCHING THE DISPATCH ERROR. OUR COMPANY FOM DEFINES THE FOLLOWING: 'MINIMUM FUEL CONDITION: LESS THAN 30 MINS OF FLT TIME TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.' 'EMER FUEL CONDITION: LESS THAN 20 MINS OF FLT TIME TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.' WE TAXIED OFF THE RWY WITH 2600 LBS OF FUEL. WE SHUT DOWN AT THE GATE WITH 2400 LBS OF FUEL.