Legislative Updates

Media coverage of our lawsuit against the state

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February 6, 2018

As articles about our lawsuit roll in, we'll be sure to post them here. First up, the Star Tribune. >>

Evaluating the final Clean Water Fund bill

by Trevor Russell

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June 28, 2017

HF 707 betrays the expectations of Minnesota voters by raiding $22 million in Clean Water Fund money for administrative costs for local governments, while failing to heed the recmmendations of Minnesota's Clean Water Council.

How water fared in the legislative session + a happy hour invitation

by Trevor Russell

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June 5, 2017

While the 2017 Minnesota legislative session didn’t go as well as we hoped — we failed to make any meaningful progress on water quality — we can say for certain that the final bills were a great improvement over those originally vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton.

Thank you FMR River Guardians, Water Action Day participants and everyone who joined in our efforts to stand up for clean water this session!

Learn more from our Legislative Updates blog and join us for happy hour, Tuesday, June 27 to recap the session with the FMR Capitol Crew and discuss what's next.

Environment bill becomes law: What’s in & what’s out?

by Trevor Russell

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June 2, 2017

The Minnesota Legislature's original environment bill was one of the most sweeping anti-environmental bills to advance at the Capitol in many years. Luckily, it was vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton on May 12. So what made it into the final bill that the governor signed on May 30? Some rollbacks, no water quality progress, but not the worst provisions were removed during final negotiations with the Dayton administration.

Sigh... Environment bill signed. Legacy funds shifted.

by Trevor Russell

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June 1, 2017

We're pretty sure that when Minnesotans passed the Legacy Amendment, this isn't what they — what we — had in mind. Just signed by Gov. Mark Dayton, the environment bill shifts voter-mandated conservation funds to administrative costs. Thank you to all the River Guardians who tried to prevent this, we look forward to inviting you to happy hour soon to recap the session.

River Guardians happy hour: Legislative session wrap-up

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June 1, 2017

Join us Tuesday, June 27, 4:30 p.m. to raise a glass to a good fight at the Minnesota Legislature this session. We'll hear from FMR's Capitol Crew experts Trevor Russell and Leili Fatehi about the good, the bad and the ugly. We'll also report back and share the stats about FMR River Guardians' great advocacy throughout the session and give you a glimpse into upcoming advocacy opportunities to protect and restore the Mississippi River.

Where the Legislature stands on water & the environment in its final week

by Trevor Russell

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May 16, 2017

This 2017 Legislature has featured a series of sweeping assaults on our environment, including widespread rollbacks to bedrock environmental finance and policy positions that threaten to undermine water quality and river health throughout the state. Here's where things stand.