Protecting the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund

In 1988 (and twice since then), Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment to dedicate lottery proceeds to the protection, conservation, preservation and enhancement of "the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources." 

Dubbed the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF), it has invested over $1 billion into thousands of research and restoration projects statewide since its inception. That includes successful FMR habitat projects at Spring Lake Park Reserve and Hampton Woods in Dakota County.

Renewing the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund

The constitutional dedication of lottery proceeds to the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund is set to expire in 2025. State legislators passed a bill in 2023 that put lottery dedication on the ballot as a constitutional amendment, renewing the fund through 2050.

In November 2024, Minnesota voters will have the chance to vote yes to rededicate the environmental fund.

FMR wants to see this environmental funding source protected for decades to come. That is why we continue to strongly support efforts to renew the lottery dedication to the environment, including through collaboration with many environmental, natural resource and outdoor recreation groups from across the state. 

Protecting the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund

For many years things went smoothly with the ENRTF, which provided about $60 million annually in dedicated environmental funding. However some legislative sessions have gone differently.

There have been a few attempts by lawmakers to use the fund to pay for things outside of the ENRTF's stated purpose. (One of these attempts led to successful legal action in which FMR took part in 2018.)

In 2022, legislators included allocations that were never heard or reviewed by the Legislative Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources, the body charged with reviewing and ranking proposals for use of ENRTF dollars. This was a strict departure from the norm and one that earned legislators a harsh rebuke from Gov. Tim Walz.

As a result, ensuring the passage of a clean ENRTF bill each legislative session has become a top-line priority for FMR. Minnesota should continue to use the trust fund in ways that honor the will of Minnesota's voters.