Action Alert: Invest in clean water bonding [CLOSED]
We believe that every Minnesotan deserves access to clean, safe drinking water and healthy surface waters. As legislators embark on a second special session, we are renewing our support for a pair of priority clean water investments.
1. #FixthePipesMN: FMR, along with our friends in the brand-new Fix the Pipes Alliance, are once again joining forces to ask Minnesota lawmakers to #FixthePipesMN and invest at least $300 million to replace and improve aging water infrastructure this session.
In communities across the state, investments in water infrastructure made 60-70 years ago served us well, and now need to be repaired and replaced. Pipes are leaking, and drinking and wastewater facilities need to be upgraded to protect the health of communities served by them and every other community downstream.
This vital package will protect public health, provide clean drinking water, mitigate flooding and reduce pollution and untreated sewage from entering rivers, ponds and lakes across Minnesota. It will also help restart Minnesota's COVID-19 ravaged economy by creating an estimated 7,200 jobs statewide with more than $1.8 billion in total economic impact.
As cities and towns face severe revenue shortfalls due to the COVID-19 crisis, this investment is more important than ever.
It's time for lawmakers to follow the governor's lead and #FixthePipesMN with a comprehensive bonding bill with at least $300 million to replace and improve aging water infrastructure to protect our environment and public health.
2. Farmland conservation: Minnesota's farmers are facing crises at every turn: crop prices, unpredictable weather, uncertain trade and an ongoing water quality problem. That's where the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) comes in.
CREP leverages federal dollars to strategically pull the most vulnerable land out of crop production in order to enhance natural systems.
With a $16.5 million bonding investment in CREP, the program will match state dollars with a general federal contribution to complete a multi-year effort to support targeted agricultural conservation in Minnesota.
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