Posts By: Matt Doll

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership This week, lawmakers introduced bills in the Minnesota Legislature and in Congress that represent perhaps the most aggressive effort yet to create new protections for our state from copper-nickel sulfide mining. These bills are being championed by MEP member groups, and would help prevent sulfide mining pollution from destroying some… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership This week, all 201 Minnesota Legislators were sworn into their seats, commencing the start of the 91st Minnesota Legislature’s first session. As they were for the past two years, the House and Senate are controlled by the DFL and Republican Party respectively, presenting a challenge to legislation. But 2021 will… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership Over the past several weeks, two reports on water quality highlighted the fact that water pollution is an extremely expensive problem, one that government agencies have underestimated or refused to fully address.  Rollback of Clean Water Rule was based on dubious assumptions The most recent report, from the External Environmental Economics… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership For months, MEP has been working to help shine a spotlight and help families in Duluth through one of the most potent household health threats there is: toxic lead in drinking water. Our work aims to help families take steps to protect themselves from the harm that lead causes Lead… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership Earlier this week, twelve of the seventeen members of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) Environmental Justice Advisory Group (EJAG) announced their resignation from the group, citing the MPCA’s approval of permits for the proposed Line 3 oil pipeline as the proximate cause. The resigning members also detailed patterns of dismissal and… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership On Thursday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) made the irresponsible – but ultimately unsurprising – decision to approve crucial water permits for Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement pipeline, moving it even closer to construction. If you’ve read our previous articles on the subject, you’ll know why approving this pipeline is… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership Next week, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is expected to decide whether to approve critical water permits for the Enbridge Line 3 replacement oil pipeline. These permits are among the last items required for the pipeline’s construction, and they offer a critical opportunity for Minnesota’s government to live up… Read more »

Presidential candidates’ climate views have little in common Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership On Tuesday evening, the Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus released its Climate Action Plan, which will help guide legislation introduced in 2021 and beyond. In a Facebook video, State Representatives in the Caucus and members of Minnesota’s environmental community explained the plan and asked… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership The extreme weather and fire events of the past year have made it clearer than ever that climate change is here, and that we need to address it as quickly as we can. There’s a lot that Minnesota can do to lead on climate change by reducing emissions and retiring… Read more »

Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership This week, a broad array of environmental groups, businesses, labor unions, and communities across Minnesota had reason to celebrate as the Legislature finally passed a capital investment bill after months of negotiation. This $1.8 billion bonding bill will mostly go toward infrastructure in Minnesota, delivering benefits to residents and much-needed… Read more »