Defending Our Environmental Protections

Protecting What Minnesotans Care About

At the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP), we believe that economic prosperity and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Minnesota’s heritage of plentiful, clean, flowing water has driven our state’s growth and made fertile ground for agriculture, business, and recreation. Minnesotans want to protect that legacy and leave a healthy future for their children.

Our natural resources don’t just take care of themselves, as Minnesotans know. It takes strong, common sense environmental laws and policies to ensure the safety of our drinking water and sustainability of our groundwater, and create safe and communities in which to live, work, and play.

Over the years, the Minnesota Environmental Partnership and our member organizations have fought for laws that promote clean energy and strengthen protections for our land, water, and air. We have also vigorously opposed short-sighted efforts to block, undermine, and undo those laws. Such efforts are out of step with the wishes of Minnesota voters. In accordance with the values of Minnesotans, we will continue to defend existing laws from being weakened or repealed. These include:

  • Clean energy: Minnesota is a national and global leader in our use of renewable energy sources. Our progressive energy policies increase our use of renewable energy sources, provide incentives to promote energy efficiency, and help us achieve our goal of reducing Minnesota’s carbon pollution 80% by 2050. This includes maintaining a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear reactors and coal plants.
  • Minnesota Environmental Policy Act: Minnesotans overwhelmingly want to maintain Minnesota’s environmental review standards, which protect our Great Outdoors and our communities from avoidable harm caused by poorly thought-through projects and decisions.
  • Plentiful and clean water: Minnesota’s clean water laws and standards are essential to eliminating pollution, and restoring and protecting our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and groundwater. It is through these laws and standards that our state can avoid waste and overuse that imperils our quality of life and economic prospects.

On behalf of those who breathe the air, drink the water, and play on the land, we urge our lawmakers to look beyond today and see what’s possible. Minnesotans are counting on it.


RESOURCES

2017 Minnesota Environmental Partnership Environmental Briefing Book

2017 Minnesota Environmental Partnership Public Opinion Poll: Defense

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