In 1988, Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment dedicating lottery proceeds to protecting, conserving, preserving and enhancing "the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources."
Since then, the fund (officially known as the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund or ENRTF) has supported over a thousand research and restoration projects in natural areas and communities throughout the state, including successful FMR habitat projects at Spring Lake Park Reserve, Hampton Woods and many other FMR restoration sites.
FMR has long supported this funding source alongside many environmental, natural resource and outdoor recreation groups. And Minnesota voters have renewed the amendment each time it's been on the ballot.
From advocating for the amendment's renewal at the ballot box to ensuring that legislators spend the trust fund in ways that honor the will of Minnesota's voters, FMR will continue to protect the fund for decades to come.
It’s frustratingly familiar territory with a scary new twist: A recent attempt to raid the 2020 Environment Trust Fund threatens to cancel the entire $64M allocation this year — hurting all the research and habitat restoration projects and jobs it supports throughout the state. Let’s dive in. >>
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On March 5, Gov. Tim Walz signed bipartisan legislation to fix last year’s controversial use of Minnesota’s voter-approved Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund. This is a win for taxpayers and our environment, and restoring the fund was a major priority for FMR this session. Here’s what happened. >>
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While many of the most troubling bills and provisions were eventually defeated this Minnesota legislative session, a mixed bag of stand-alone items were passed and signed into law. ...And, oh yeah, the Legislature unnecessarily raided $98 million from the state’s voter-approved Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund.. >>
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Gov. Dayton has signed the Legislature's 2018 bonding bill.
The governor used a line-item veto to remove one controversial provision but (reluctantly) approved the rest of the bill — including an unprecedented $98 million raid of the state’s Environmental Trust Fund.
Here’s a summary of what got funded, what got line-item vetoed and what got raided. >>
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