Water & Legislative

Multiple bills undermine state drinking water protection authority

February 27, 2018

We can all agree that clean, safe drinking water should be accessible and affordable for everyone regardless of geography or income. Unfortunately, no fewer than five bills have already been introduced this session that undercut state authority to protect public and private wells from contamination through the 1989 Groundwater Protection Act. >>

What we want this legislative session

February 20, 2018

Budget uncertainty, election-year politics and a sometimes-heated debate on environment and conservation issues should make for a fascinating legislative session.

Here are our priorities for the 2018 session, kicking off Tuesday, February 20. We'll be advocating for investments in essential water infrastructure and in programs that will reduce agricultural and salt pollution, and working to stop rollbacks of existing environmental protections. >>

Media coverage of our lawsuit against the state

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

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

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

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

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.

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

by Trevor Russell

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.

Gov. Dayton vetoes awful environmental bill! (But another is on the way.)

by Trevor Russell

May 12, 2017

Friday, May 12, Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed a historically bad omnibus environment bill. It sought to give polluters the right to write their own environmental impact statements, slashed funding for environmental agencies and even prevented cities from banning plastic bags. In short, it threatened to undermine Minnesota’s long tradition of protecting the water we drink and the air we breathe.

Dennis Anderson (Star Tribune): Separating fact from fiction about Minnesota's buffer law

by Trevor Russell

May 5, 2017

Dennis Anderson, the longtime outdoors columnist for the Star Tribune: "Misinformation is rife about the state's buffer law, passed two years ago to clean up lakes and rivers, which requires farmers and other landowners to be in compliance with the statute by November."

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