By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership — @mattjdoll On Wednesday, the federal Bureau of Land Management announced its renewal of two mineral leases held by Twin Metals, the company seeking to construct a copper-nickel mine in the Superior National Forest near Ely. The leases were previously blocked by the Obama administration due to the tremendous environmental… Read more »
By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership Minnesota’s 2019 Legislative Session is entering its final stages. With a May 20 deadline to pass its budget and policy bills through both houses for Governor Walz’s signature, the Legislature is poised to make deals and compromises that will shape Minnesota’s environment for years to come. The DFL-controlled House… Read more »
By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership On Wednesday evening, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed an omnibus bill for energy and economic development that includes a major milestone for climate action in our state: a path toward 100% carbon-free electricity statewide by 2050. This bill would marshal Minnesota’s utilities, energy efficiency expertise, and ingenuity to… Read more »
By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership – @mattjdoll Last week, the Minnesota Senate Environment and Natural Resources Finance committee unveiled an omnibus budget bill that would dramatically cut general state support for our natural resources by 25%. These cuts, representing a funding decrease of $90 million from the last two year budget, would harm the… Read more »
photo credit: Duluth for Clean Water By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership On Wednesday, hundreds of Minnesotans gathered at the Capitol in St. Paul to send a clear message to the Legislature that we need action on clean water. They shared the same wisdom – that Water is Life – with the new Legislature and… Read more »
By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership In the middle of a contentious but exciting state Legislative session, Minnesotans from around the state have an opportunity to shape our state’s work to protect and provide clean water for all of us. On April 10, Water Action Day at the State Capitol will provide a chance to… Read more »
By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership Last month, Governor Tim Walz announced that his administration would allow the Department of Commerce to continue an appeal – begun under the Dayton Administration – of the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) decision to grant a Certificate of Need for the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline. This week, the Minnesota Senate passed… Read more »
By Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership In the last evening hours of the legislative session in 2015, Minnesota citizens lost their voice. The Citizens’ Board was established in 1967 alongside the creation of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and for 48 years existed as an avenue for 8 citizens appointed by the Governor and approved… Read more »
To: Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate Re: MPCA Citizens’ Board March 21, 2019 Dear Members, We are writing to express our strong support for House File 973 and Senate File 627 to reestablish the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) Citizens’ Board. The Citizens’ Board was established in 1967 with the… Read more »
To: Senate Finance Committee Re: Please Oppose SF 1757 March 21, 2019 Dear Senator: As organizations who are working to accelerate the urgent transition to clean energy in Minnesota, we are in opposition to SF 1757. The Line 3 “replacement” project is a proposal by Enbridge Energy to build a new oil pipeline through northern… Read more »