SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Minnesota House passed SF 2077, the House Environment and Natural Resources budget bill. The bill contains none of the Republicans’ proposed cuts to investments or attempts to roll back key environmental protections. Last biennium, Democrats delivered groundbreaking legislation to protect Minnesotans’ land, water, and air from PFAS, nitrates, and aquatic invasive species, while protecting wildlife, planting millions of trees, and so much more.
“There is so much more that we need to do as a state to protect and enhance our natural environment, but given the current political situation, I see this bill as a strong achievement for our state,” said Rep. Peter Fischer (DFL – Maplewood), Co-Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. “I am proud that we are maintaining so many strong environmental protections and reforms won during the last biennium. As we head to conference committee I will continue to push for funding and policies that prioritize our environment over profit.”
The budget for Environment and Natural Resources Budget contains a $10 million overall cut. This reduction was spread across the Board of Water and Soil Resources, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Despite the cuts,, particularly with the Trump administration’s attacks on environmental protections. The budget continues to fund critical direct appropriations to programs that protect our air, land and water.
The House DFL prevented a number of GOP policy bills that would have widespread and long-lasting negative impacts on Minnesota’s environment. Republicans proposed a number of exemptions to Minnesota’s nation-leading ban on cancer-causing PFAS forever chemicals. They also pushed for undoing progress on clean water protections and many more proposals that would harm the environment, all of which Democrats blocked.
The fiscal spreadsheets are available here. The complete bill language can be found here. Video of the floor debate on the bills can be found on the House Information YouTube page.
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