Clean Water:

Voter-Approved Legacy Amendment Goes to Work This Week

Topic: Wildlife Habitat

SAINT PAUL, MN -- More than $300 million in new investments in Minnesota’s outdoors gets going this week with the start of a new state fiscal year, conservation leaders said today. The Twin Cities will see benefits from clean water funding that will help address pollution in the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and the development of a cleanup plan for Lake Pepin.

The region’s hunters and anglers will also see benefits from $87 million in habitat funds in 18 locations across the state.

Approved by voters last November, the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment becomes effective July 1, when the state begins collecting revenue from an earmarked 3/8-cent sales tax. The Legislature appropriated the $300 million for the next two fiscal years before its adjournment, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the funding bill into law.

In three news conferences in Duluth, the Twin Cities and Rochester celebrating the first year of projects and programs funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, leaders noted local projects that they said show the measure will help communities statewide:

    * In the Twin Cities, leaders pointed to a piece of the $151 million approved for clean water projects that will help monitor and cleanup polluted stretches of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and Lake Pepin, and the statewide benefits of $87 million appropriated for fishing and hunting habitat.
    * In Duluth, leaders highlighted $750,000 from the Amendment that will help attract federal Great Lakes restoration money for cleanup of toxic sediments in the St. Louis River and $36 million from the Amendment to purchase easements on about 180,000 acres of northern Minnesota forestland.
    * In Rochester, leaders stressed the benefits of $2 million in Amendment funds that will support restoration and protection of coldwater fisheries in southeast Minnesota, and other Amendment monies that will expand aquatic management areas important for the region’s fisheries habitat.

“The Constitutional amendment spells out what the money is dedicated to, and over the long term we in the conservation and environmental community are committed to making sure the money stays on track. This is a good start,” said Paul Aasen, interim executive director of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.

“In a year of discord in the Capitol, legislators and the Governor were able to come together on conservation,” said Paul Austin, Executive Director of Conservation Minnesota. “This first batch of clean water, recreation and habitat projects funded by the Amendment proves that the voters are getting a good return on their investment. It will result in tangible benefits.”

The first year of funding may be the easiest, said Steve Morse, executive director of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership. “There was a backlog of important projects awaiting funding and the selections were solid. The real challenge lies ahead of us. We must keep focused on the big picture and vision of what’s best for our Great Outdoors over the next 24 years and not allow ourselves to be distracted from this goal. We will work diligently together to Protect Minnesota’s Future for our children and grandchildren.”

Voter-Approved Legacy Amendment Goes to Work This Week

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