More than 65 organizations are backing the Mississippi River Restoration & Resilience Initiative or MRRRI Act introduced to Congress in June. Find out why the MRRRI Act merits its broad support. >>
Water and Legislative Updates Blog
FMR is proud to be a leading voice to protect the water of our Big River, and all the people and wildlife who depend on it.
Our Water program and Legislative updates strive to keep you up to date on important water-quality issues, from the banks of the Mississippi to the halls of the Legislature. (For political animals, here's a legislative-content-only version.)
Blog updates are also shared on social (Facebook and Twitter) 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.
July 13, 2021
Only July 6, the Senate convened and informed the governor that they would vote to deny confirmation for Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Laura Bishop, due to the agency’s support for the Clean Cars Minnesota rulemaking process. In response, Commissioner Bishop announced her resignation shortly thereafter. >>
July 12, 2021
Des Moines has ample surface water from its two rivers, but contamination from upstream runoff has forced officials to start pivoting to a drastic new plan: drilling $30 million worth of wells. >>
June 24, 2021
The Everglades, Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound and the Great Lakes. What do all of these natural resources have that the Mississippi River does not? A dedicated federal restoration program.
But a new bill seeks to change that. Tell Congress you support a whole-river restoration program! >>
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! >>
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. >>
June 1, 2021
The latest act in the "Pinelands to Potatoes" saga is a blow to environmental protection. >>
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. >>
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. >>
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. >>