Proposed state constitutional amendment would boost water cleanup
About $100 million in guaranteed funding would be pumped each year into testing and restoration of polluted waters and protection of clean lakes and streams if Minnesota voters approve a constitutional amendment this November.
The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment would earmark an additional 3/8 of a cent state sales tax for water protection, purchase and development of public parks and trails, and fish and wildlife habitat for the next 25 years. The legislature placed the proposed amendment on the ballot after nearly a decade of effort by conservation and environmental groups.
State conservation funding is in crisis, and the amendment is the best opportunity to end the crisis. Unless it is passed:
- As a percent of state general fund spending, conservation funding will slip to a 30-year low (0.98%, or less than a penny on the dollar) in 2009.
- For 2010-11, conservation funding will drop by 17.5% compared to the amount for 2008-09.
- In real dollars, total conservation funding will drop between 2001 and 2011 from $561 million to $450 million an 18% decline.
About 40% of lakes and streams tested by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency have one or more impairments, meaning they dont meet Clean Water Act standards. And due to lack of funding, about 80% of Minnesota waters havent even been tested to determine their compliance with the Clean Water Act.
The amendment would raise approximately $300 million annually, with about one-third dedicated to the state Clean Water Legacy program.
This amendment is important for cleanup and protection of the Mississippi River watershed and all of Minnesotas waters, says FMR Executive Director Whitney Clark. Water is a vital part of the Minnesota way of life, and this amendment will help us pass on clean water for drinking, swimming, boating and fishing to future generations of Minnesotans.
For more information about the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, visit the Vote Yes Minnesota web site.