Water

FMR is proud to be a leading voice in protecting the water of our Big River and all the people and wildlife who depend on it.

From the banks of the Mississippi to the halls of the Legislature, our Water program strives to keep you up to date on important water-quality issues. (For political animals, here are all FMR posts related to legislative advocacy.)

Updates are also shared on social (Facebook and Instagram) and in FMR's Mississippi Messages newsletter.

Join us! Sign up to be a River Guardian to receive email action alerts when we need your help the most, plus invitations to educational happy hours and other events.

POSTS

Star Trib commentary on exciting new federal river initiative

June 15, 2021

As FMR Executive Director Whitney Clark and Congresswoman Betty McCollum recently wrote in the StarTribune: it’s time for Congress to make the same commitment to the Mississippi River as they have to Puget Sound, Chesapeake Bay, and the Everglades.

Read their commentary and join the call for a new, dedicated federal funding program for our remarkable river! >>

Special Session Action Alert: Support conservation & our environmental agencies [CLOSED]

June 3, 2021

The fate of this year's omnibus Environment Bill will be decided in the upcoming special session. Please send a quick message to your legislators to support the ENRTF, fully fund our environmental state agencies, and say no to unnecessary changes to the Public Waters Inventory process. >>

Something's rotten in the state of Minnesota

June 1, 2021

The latest act in the "Pinelands to Potatoes" saga is a blow to environmental protection. >>

Special Session Action Alert: Support clean water bonding [CLOSED]

May 27, 2021

Next up for this special session: the bonding bill. Join us in calling on legislators to support two important water infrastructure projects: #FixthePipes and CREP. >>

Special Session Action Alert: Support clean water & oppose raids to the Clean Water Fund [CLOSED]

May 26, 2021

The Minnesota Legislature is coming back for a special session! We're asking River Guardians and others to weigh in on three priority environmental bills to make sure lawmakers get this right. First up: the Omnibus Legacy Bill. >>

The clock runs out on the Minnesota Legislature

by Trevor Russell

May 19, 2021

On the final day of the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers agreed to a $52 billion two-year state budget, but the clock ran out before they could pass any meaningful legislation. Here’s where major water-related environmental bills stand as we prepare for a special session. >>

Who farms in MN? What the ag census tells us about MN agriculture

by Trevor Russell

May 19, 2021

As we work to transition our croplands toward more water-friendly systems, it’s important to examine how the ag sector reinforces systematic inequities that disproportionally impact low-income farmers and people of color — so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. >>

Kernza pays off for MN water supplies

by Peter LaFontaine

May 17, 2021

The flagship "clean-water crop" delivers tremendous value in reducing water pollution, reports the Star Tribune. >>

Action Alert: Environment Bill – Support Conservation & the Environmental Trust Fund [CLOSED]

May 11, 2021

The fate of this year's environment bill will be decided in the coming weeks. Please send a quick message to your lawmakers to support environmental funding, support the Environmental Trust Fund and oppose policy rollbacks in the final bill. >>

MN Senate says: It's clean cars or state parks, not both

by Trevor Russell

May 6, 2021

Earlier this week, the environmental debate at the Legislature crescendoed when the Senate threatened to block the entire Omnibus Environment Bill if Gov. Walz doesn't agree to repeal the Minnesota Pollution Control Agencies’ existing authority to regulate auto emissions. >>