Since being signed into law on Oct. 18, 1972, the federal Clean Water Act has helped Minnesota and the rest of our nation limit and clean up pollution in our lakes, rivers and streams.
(For an easy-to-understand summary of the landmark Clean Water Act and how it affects Minnesota, see Minnesota’s impaired waters 101, written by Friends of the Mississippi River, an MEP member organization.)
Unfortunately, many leaders in Minnesota proved unfriendly to our water during the past legislative session.*
These policies were signed into law:
• Protections for water quality standards in wild rice waters were weakened
• Requirements for feedlots were weakened
• A special exemption for Lutsen Ski Resort to extract water from the Poplar River, a designated trout stream already undergoing a clean-up plan, further endangering the trout and the health of the river
There is some good news, though. Thanks to the great work of our members and our supporters in the public, a few bad water policies proposed by the Legislature were defeated:
• Repealing the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area designation rules
• Imposing a two-year freeze on creating or updating any and all water regulations
But we fear the upcoming 2012 legislative session will bring similar — or even worse — attacks on our state’s water.
We Minnesotans know that protecting our water is not a Republican or Democratic issue — it’s a Minnesota value. We must join together to continue reminding our elected leaders of this, and urge them to do what’s right for Minnesota and our children and grandchildren.
In the spirit of the Clean Water Act, please show your support for our coalition’s work and Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, and streams by making a donation to the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, today or on Give to the Max Day (Nov. 16, 2011).
Together, let’s make sure that the Minnesota we love will be enjoyed by generations to come!
(*For more about what happened at the Capitol regarding the environment, see our 2011 Session in Review.)