DFLEC Legislative Update
May 4, 2025
Dear caucus members,
Thank you for all the phone calls, emails and lobby visits made to our Minnesota Legislators.
Your actions do make a difference and they are sorely needed as we enter the last two weeks of the session. We must all stand up and speak up to protect our water, our air, and future generations.
First the good news and bad regarding the SF2781, Environmental Policy Bill
SF 2781, the Environmental Policy Omnibus Bill passed out of the Senate Environment Committee with no changes. No amendments were added that would rollback rules on sulfate pollution or reactive mine waste. Also, it kept these two articles that we strongly support.
Article 1 - Section 2 Wild Rice Policy. This is essential for safeguarding Tribal food security and upholding treaty-reserved rights. Minnesota tribes maintain the right to hunt, fish, and gather food including wild rice. It is not just a highly nutritious plant and Minnesota’s state grain, but is a core component of cultural identity for the Indian Tribes within our state borders. We have a legal obligation to act to protect it.
Article 2 - Electronic Waste and Battery Stewardship. The e-waste bill will help us recover precious metals, create much needed jobs, and prevent contamination of our soil and water.
Unfortunately, it still contains Article 3 - Environmental Permitting Reform.
This would weaken state environmental review at a time when the federal government is recklessly green-lighting polluting industries. Permits that get held up are those that are incomplete or are for controversial projects that need careful scrutiny so taxpayers don’t get stuck paying to clean up their messes.
And there was no policy added on water use or energy use for data centers, or added requirements for OHV trails. With 11+ mega data centers proposed for our state, we need legislators to step up and pass legislation to safeguard our water and energy grid, not fast track them and them huge tax breaks.
Next steps for SF2781
It will be heard in the Senate Finance Committee.
Then it will get a Senate Floor Vote. Write or call these Senators and your Senator NOW to let them know you want them to keep articles 1 - Wild Rice, and 2 - E-waste, and to remove article 3 - on permitting, and add policy to regulate water and energy use by mega data centers.
sen.jennifer.mcewen@mnsenate.gov,
sen.mary.kunesh@mnsenate.gov,
sen.ann.johnson.stewart@mnsenate.go,
sen.grant.hauschild@mnsenate.gov,
foungh@mnsenate.gov,
sen.John.Hoffman@mnsenate.gov
Finally this bill will go to a Conference Committee where we want the House to accept all of the good policy provisions Articles 1 and 2) in the bill.
The bad news on HF2438, the House Transportation Omnibus bill.
Check out this article. 11 MN Counties Get a F-grade for Air Quality. Canadian forest fires create dangerous levels of particulates in our air. Fossil fuel from all the cars and trucks on the road creates smog. Both issues are made worse by our warming climate. Unfortunately the Transportation Omnibus bill that just passed through the MN House makes drastic cuts to transit and delays vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Next steps:
The bill has to go through a Conference Committee to mesh it with the much better Senate Transportation bill that does not include these harmful, short-sighted provisions. Please write or call your representative and senator and tell them to get serious about improving air quality by removing these harmful provisions:
Drastic cuts to transit
Metro Transit. $40M cut in F& 26-27 and $64M cut in FY 28-29.
Greater MN Transit. $12M cut in FY 26-27 and $12M cut in FY 28-29.
Special Transportation Services, such as Metro Mobility and Metro Move. $27M cut in FY 28-29.
Free Rides on Buses for Metro Mobility Certified Customers. $175K cut in FY 26- 27 and $200K cut in FY 28-29.
Active Transportation. $4M cut in FY 26-27. $8M cut in FY 28-29.
Passenger Rail Base Funding. $8.9M cut in FY 28-29.
General Transit Fund Transfer to Passenger Rail Account. $16M cut in FY 28-29.
Delaying the implementation of greenhouse gas and vehicle miles traveled requirements for highway expansion projects by 3.5 years despite an already past effective date of February 1, 2025 and opposition from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.2
Delaying the implementation of assessing and requiring mitigation measures for the full portfolio of trunk highway projects from August 1, 2027, to August 1, 2028.
Requiring a transfer of funds from the transportation impact assessment and mitigation account if the unencumbered account balance has gone above half of the amount of funds deposited in the account in a fiscal year, where up to 90 percent of the available balance must be transferred to the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund.
And in the Senate Transportation bill - this update just in from Susan Schubert, MN Public Lands Coalition:
DEAR ALL!
OPPOSE THE ATV WEIGHT LIMIT INCREASE to 1 1/2 TONS just amended to the Senate Transportation Omnibus Bill. This would put ATVS the weight of a Toyota Corolla on our trails.
Please send ONE EMAIL ASAP to the legislators listed below who are on the Transportation and Environment Committees. You can also include your own legislators. The email to copy is below.
Conference Committees have started where deals are hashed out. Time is of the essence !
Your voice has impact ! Thank you as always for supporting our efforts and doing your part to help protect Public Lands with common sense measures !
SUBJECT: OPPOSE THE ATV WEIGHT INCREASE TO 1 1/12 TONS- Put Public Lands First !!
Dear Senators and Representatives,
Please OPPOSE the language for the ATV weight increase limit to 1 1/12 TONS (3 thousand pounds), in HF 2438, article 3, section 5. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING OUR PUBLIC LANDS FIRST !
This bill is NOT germane to the Transportation Committee and was NOT INCLUDED in either Environment Committee Omnibus bill.
IF this Bill passes, any 3,000 lb. gas combustion off road vehicle could access our public lands trails. This is the weight of a Toyota Corolla.This amendment is not just for electric vehicles which already exist under 2,000 lbs. Polaris wants to add enclosed cabs with air conditioning and heating. This weight increase would increase safety risks for other users and increase trail maintenance costs. See other concerns listed here.
The Wisconsin DNR opposed this weight increase due to:
• Safety concerns for smaller vehicle users
• Increased trail maintenance
• Shortened trail life span and the need to re-engineer roads.
The Wisconsin COUNTY FORESTS ASSOCIATION OPPOSED, saying:
“We feel the decision of adjusting ATV/UTV weight limits should not be driven by what machine manufacturers want but by what is best for the resource and by the dedicated professionals who care for it.”
“Any increase in the weight limits must be matched with sufficient increase in trail maintenance and law enforcement funding.”
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR PUTTING OUR PUBLIC LANDS FIRST !
scottd@mnsenate.gov
sen.ann,johnson.stewart@mnsenate.gov
sen.john.jasinski@mnsenate.gov
sen. foung.hawj@mnsenate.gov
sen.jennifer.mcewen@mnsenate.gov
sen.steve.green@mnsenate.gov
rep.erin.koegel@house.mn.gov
rep.jon.koznick@house.mn.gov
rep.peter.fischer@house.mn.gov
rep.kristi.pursell@house.mn.gov
rep.josh.heintzeman@house.mn.gov
rep.john.burkel@house.mn.gov
rep.lucy.rehm@house.mn.gov
rep.andrew.myers@house.mn.gov
Kill the Senate Energy Omnibus Bill (SF 2393)
This is the policy omnibus which includes the several poison pills:
Termination of the Community Solar Garden program
Gutting net-metering
Ending the Renewable Development Account in 2028
Falsely claiming B100 bio fuel & burning of woody biomass as carbon-free sources
Next steps:
The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee and then on to the senate floor for a vote. DFL Senate Finance Committee Chair Senator John Marty is waiting for the bill to improve before hearing it. NOW is the time to put pressure on the DFL Senators on the Energy Committee to do the right thing.
Please call: Sen. Tou Xiong (44, DFL), Sen. Jen McEwen (08 DFL), Sen. Matt Klein (53 DFL), Sen. John Hoffman (34, DFL), Sen. Scott Dibble (61, DFL), and Sen. Nick Frentz (18, DFL) who is the Assistant Majority Leader, chair of the Energy Committee and main proponent of these threats.
The House Energy Bill is a lights on bill that does not include these harmful policy provisions. Once the Senate version is passed in the senate it goes to a bipartisan conference committee where the two versions hopefully get reconciled.
You can also quickly send an email to your senator with one or more of these action alerts. Please personalize your message and also call them.
Ask the MPCA, who’s side are you on?
Our environment is under assault with recent actions by Trump to boost dirty coal gut the EPA, mine and log public lands, roll back regulations on the 7 criteria air pollutants, and fast-track the proposed NorthMet copper-nickel sulfide mine. To make matters worse the MPCA is working on provisional permits for industry that can’t or won’t meet the 10 ppm sulfate standard for technical or economic reasons. Note the pink dots on the map of sulfate levels in rivers of NE MN. These are located in areas where taconite mines exist causing unusually high levels of sulfate contamination of the water. We cannot allow Trump to fast track NorthMet and Twin Metals.
NorthMet’s permits have been revoked in the courts. Now will the MPCA just give them a provisional permit to mine? Ask questions and voice your concerns to WQSvariances.MPCA@state.mn.us
As always, stay tuned for updates as the week progresses. We are in the final stretch and bills can change without much notice. Your voice is greatly appreciated!
In unity,
Veda and Greg, Cochairs of the Legislative Committee
Megan Bond, Chair