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.
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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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In a major defeat for Minnesota's environment, Gov. Dayton has signed off on the legislature's $98 million of the state’s Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund to pay for debt on state bonds.
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FMR and our allies urge Gov. Mark Dayton to veto the raid of Minnesota's environment trust fund. Learn more from the Star Tribune or FMR's Legislative Updates blog. >>
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The House and Senate passed a final state bonding bill in the final weekend of the session. While the overall bill includes some excellent projects, the overall bill includes a massive $98 million raid to the state's Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) and $500,000 for regulated polluters to provide “oversight” of their own state regulators. >>
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