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

Clean Water Fund bill brought forward in the House

FMR strongly supports a bill introduced by Rep. Paul Torkelson (R – Hanska) to allocate the Minnesota’s Clean Water Fund (Legacy Amendment) money as recommended by the state’s 28-member Clean Water Council. FMR applauds Rep. Torkelson for his leadership on this issue, and looks forward to working with him to help HF 1731 earn Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature.

Read more
Unexpected amendment undermines state’s buffer law

An unexpected amendment to the state's buffer law undermines Gov. Mark Dayton’s landmark buffer initiative by removing 50-foot buffers from as many as 48,000 miles of Minnesota streams.
 

Read more
Agency rulemaking attack take three! Now with suspension of river phosphorus standards!

In yet another attack on state agency authority, SF 1283 requires legislative approval of most state water quality rules and standards and suspends Minnesota’s hard-won river phosphorus standards pending legislative approval.

SF 1283 (Newman, Ingebrigtsen, Utke, Eken, Tomassoni)
Status: Introduced and referred to Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance

Read more
Agency rulemaking attack take two!

Another bill has come forward at the Minnesota legislature aiming to undermine environmental rulemaking by state agencies.
SF 769: (Kiffmeyer)
HF1285: (Pugh)

Read more
Bill to eliminate Environmental Quality Board, rollback environmental review brought forward.

A bill recently introduced in the Minnesota Legislature aims to make dramatic rollbacks to Minnesota’s environmental review and permitting processes while eliminating the Environmental Quality Board.

Read more
Buffer rollbacks persist at legislature

A handful of rollbacks to Governor Dayton’s landmark 2014 Buffer Rule continue to capture legislative attention at the Minnesota Capitol this session.

Read more
Bill seeks to have judges, not experts, determine MN's water policies

Water quality standards must be based on expert science and public input. We need to reject rulemaking by judges and oppose this legislation.   

Read more
House bill aims to replace the Legacy Amendment

A bill introduced by Republican Rep. Steve Green (Fosston) would require the state to conduct a new referendum to replace the Legacy Amendment with funds for a narrow list of highway and bridge projects and bar Clean Water Fund spending on most clean-up and restoration projects.

Read more
Bill seeks to strip MPCA and DNR rulemaking authority and sunset all existing rules

Under H.F. 551, the MPCA and DNR would no longer have any rulemaking authority and all their existing rules would expire by 2022 unless the Minnesota legislature chose to enact them. The bill likely precedes others that will seek to give the legislature veto power over agency rulemaking, a move that will deny the public a voice in regulatory decisions.

Read more

Pages

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Nicollet Island, Minneapolis
Thursday, June 26, 2025 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Bad Weather Brewing, St. Paul
April through October
St. Paul