Political News:

Keep the Legacy Amendment's Water Promises

05/13/09

The Minnesota Legislature is about to make final decisions on spending from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment that voters overwhelmingly approved last November. We’re asking you to speak out by 1pm on Thrusday on the important issues covered in H.F. 1231.

You and others supported the Legacy Amendment last November 4 in part because it promised finally to fulfill the commitment of the 1972 Clean Water Act, funding important water cleanup work that hasn’t been funded by the Governor and Legislature.  In several thousand places across the state, our lakes and streams don’t meet Clean Water Act standards.

But there is now a danger that the Legislature and Governor will neglect some of this important unfinished business and replace existing funds going to existing projects with Amendment dollars. That would dramatically reduce the impact of the Legacy Amendment on our precious waters. Here are two examples of possible cuts:

  • Funding to deal with pipes that are flushing sewage directly into our lakes, streams and groundwater.  About 60,000 straight pipe septic systems in our state don’t treat raw sewage; instead it’s sent directly to rivers, lakes, drain tiles, and ditches. They dump an estimated 6.75 million gallons of raw sewage per day into Minnesota water bodies. The sewage involved has about 5,000 times the concentration of fecal coliform bacteria as treated municipal waste. The Legislature should appropriate the full $6.5 million recommended by the Clean Water Council for this critical priority.
  • Funding to make sure all of our waters are monitored and tested for pollution in the next 10 years.  Already, the Governor has vetoed $15 million to pay for water testing over the next 2 years. That money must be restored in the final bill approved by the Legislature.

In the final days and hours of the legislative session, it will be tempting for the Legislature and governor behind closed doors to cut existing sources of conservation and environmental funding and replace the cuts with Legacy Amendment funds. But the constitutional language the voters approved prohibits that. We need you to tell the Legislature and governor to respect the Constitution and fund vital new water initiatives, not old programs with the Amendment dollars.

Please take the time to contact your state legislators and let them know it’s time to keep the Legacy Amendment’s promise for our waters.

Your opinions mean a great deal to your decision-makers and by clicking above, we give you simple ways to express yourself. Thank you for communicating with your legislator.



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