Minnesota Environmental Partnership

SEE SCHEDULE O.MEP IS A COALITION OF 70 MINNESOTA ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS - AND OTHER GROUPS THAT ALIGN WITH MEP'S MISSION AND COLLABORATIVE APPROACH - WORKING TOGETHER TO PROTECT AND RESTORE MINNESOTA'S CLEAN WATER, LAND, CLIMATE, AIR QUALITY, AND ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. THE PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES A VITAL WAY FOR ORGANIZATIONS TO COLLABORATE IN THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE THAT MINNESOTA'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND HUMAN HEALTH ARE WELL PROTECTED.

OVERVIEW:MINNESOTA ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERSHIP (MEP) WORKS IN A UNIQUE WAY TO BRING TOGETHER THE ENERGIES AND PASSIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVATION NONPROFITS AND ALLIES INTO A SINGLE POWERFUL VOICE. WE WORK IN SYNCHRONY WITH OUR MEMBERS AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL, AND WE EDUCATE AND MOBILIZE THE PUBLIC ON PRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS, INVESTMENTS, AND INITIATIVES.AS A COALITION, MEP'S ROLE IS TO BRING ORGANIZATIONS TOGETHER TO NETWORK, COLLABORATE, AND ADVOCATE, BUILDING THEIR INDIVIDUAL EFFECTIVENESS WHILE WORKING ON COALITION-IDENTIFIED PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES. MEP COORDINATES MEMBER EFFORTS SO OUR COMMUNITY-WIDE RESOURCES ARE USED AS EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE, PROVIDING THE LEADERSHIP, EXPERTISE, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH, CONVENING, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED TO ACHIEVE RESULTS. TO THIS END, MEP PROVIDES THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY WITH THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:1. LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE ON COLLABORATIVE ISSUE INITIATIVES2. COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH, MESSAGING AND TRAINING 3. PUBLIC EDUCATION AND MEDIA4. CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT 5. EDUCATION OF DECISION-MAKERSMEP'S PROGRAMS ARE FOCUSED ON PROTECTING AND RESTORING MINNESOTA'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND PROTECTING HUMAN HEALTH. MEP ALSO WORKS TO SUPPORT AND COORDINATE GROUPS FOCUSED ON SAFEGUARDING THE STATE'S FUNDS THAT ARE CONSTITUTIONALLY DEDICATED TO PROTECTING AND RESTORING OUR GREAT OUTDOORS. THROUGH THESE WORKING GROUPS, MEMBERS SHARE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES, AND CREATE SHARED POSITIONS AND EXECUTE STRATEGIES. WE ALSO WORK TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY AND SUPPORT ANNUAL COMMUNITY LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. WHILE OUR CLUSTERS WORK ON INITIATIVES YEAR-ROUND, THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS A SIGNIFICANT FOCUS OF OUR WORK. MEP'S ONGOING INITIATIVES ARE OUTLINED BELOW WITH HIGHLIGHTS FROM FISCAL YEAR 2022.PROGRAM ONE: CLEAN WATERINVESTING IN CLEAN WATER AND LIVING LANDSCAPESA LONGSTANDING PRIORITY ISSUE FOR MEP HAS BEEN EDUCATING DECISION-MAKERS AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE DETRIMENTS OF AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION TO STREAMS, RIVERS, LAKES, AND DRINKING WATER. WE'VE ADVOCATED FOR SOLUTIONS LIKE BUFFERS AND THE FOREVER GREEN INITIATIVE WHICH IS AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA THAT'S DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING NEW PERENNIAL AND WINTER ANNUAL COVER CROPS TO PREVENT FARM RUNOFF, INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY, AND IMPROVE HABITAT AND CLIMATE RESILIENCY. WITH STRONG MEP PRESENCE IN THE FOREVER GREEN PARTNERSHIP, THE PROGRAM RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING IN THE 2022 LEGISLATURE AND HAS HELPED MOVE NEW CROPS FORWARD. THE 2022 LEGISLATURE APPROVED $630,000 IN NEW ANNUAL BASE FUNDING FOR FOREVER GREEN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND $500,000 FOR A GRANT PROGRAM SO SUPPORT COMMERCIALIZATION OF CONTINUOUS LIVING COVER CROPS. PROTECTING OUR WATER FROM SULFIDE MININGPROPOSED SULFIDE MINES IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA, INCLUDING THE POLYMET NORTHMET PROJECT AND THE TWIN METALS MINNESOTA PROJECT, THREATEN OUR LAKES AND RIVERS WITH SIGNIFICANT ONGOING WATER POLLUTION. MEP HAS LEVERAGED OUR POSITION TO CONVENE THE MEP MINING CLUSTER, WHICH HELPS GROUPS COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE ON THEIR STRATEGIES AND MET TEN TIMES DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR. CLUSTER MEMBER GROUPS HAVE LED SUCCESSFUL LEGAL CAMPAIGNS THAT HAVE HALTED MOST OF POLYMET'S PERMITS SO THE PROJECT REMAINS IN LIMBO. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ESSENTIALLY REVOKED THE MINERAL RIGHTS LEASED BY TWIN METALS, WITH STRONG SUPPORT FROM MEP MINING CLUSTER MEMBERS. MEP STAFF REPRESENTED THE COALITION IN WATERSHED PLANNING EFFORTS FOR THE ST. LOUIS RIVER. ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE BEEN PUBLICLY HIGHLIGHTING THE DANGER, ESPECIALLY FROM MERCURY, TO DOWNSTREAM COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE ST. LOUIS RIVER WATERSHED AND LAKE SUPERIOR. THE MINING CLUSTER ALSO BEGAN SUBSTANTIAL ENGAGEMENT IN A NEW SULFIDE MINING PROJECT, A NICKEL MINE PROPOSED BY TALON MINERALS IN THE UPPER REACHES OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. PROGRAM TWO: PROTECTING THE GREAT LAKESMINNESOTA IS THE HEADWATERS STATE FOR THE GREAT LAKES, WITH 190 MILES OF RUGGED LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE AMONG ITS NATURAL ASSETS. FEDERAL ADVOCACYMEP'S COALITION CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE (GLRI), A LONG-TERM REGIONAL PLAN TO RESTORE THE LAKES AND STIMULATE THE REGION'S ECONOMY. THE MEP COALITION HAS SUPPORTED FULL CONGRESSIONAL FUNDING FOR GLRI, AS WELL AS LEVERAGING STATE DOLLARS THROUGH THE LEGACY AMENDMENT AND THE BONDING BILL. MEP ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES IN THE HEALING OUR WATERS COALITION, AND ALONG WITH THAT COALITION, WE ARE INCREASINGLY TURNING OUR FOCUS TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES. MEP LED OR CO-LED TWO VIRTUAL ADVOCACY VISITS WITH CONGRESSIONAL STAFF ON GREAT LAKES ISSUES, IN NOVEMBER 2021 AND MARCH 2022. MEP EMPLOYS A FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBER AND A HALF-TIME ORGANIZER IN OUR DULUTH OFFICE FOR THIS WORK.PROTECTING FAMILIES FROM LEAD IN THEIR DRINKING WATERIN DULUTH, MEP STAFF AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS HAVE HELPED OVER 50 FAMILIES IN LOWER-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS IDENTIFY WHETHER THEIR DRINKING WATER IS CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD. SADLY, ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE FAMILIES DO HAVE LEAD IN THEIR DRINKING WATER. THANKS IN PART TO MEP'S COMMUNITY WORK, THE CITY OF DULUTH INITIATED ITS OWN SUBSTANTIAL DRINKING WATER TESTING PROGRAM IN JULY OF 2021 AND HAS BEEN AGGRESSIVELY SEEKING FUNDS AND SUPPORTING POLICY TO IMPLEMENT WIDE-SCALE LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT IN THE CITY. MEP EFFORTS LED TO INITIATIVES IN THE 2022 LEGISLATURE TO REPLACE ALL LEAD DRINKING WATER SUPPLY LINES IN THE STATE WITHIN 10 YEARS AT NO COST TO PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS. THIS PROPOSAL ALSO PROVIDED STATE FUNDS TO LEVERAGE FEDERAL LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT JOBS ACT OF 2021. PROGRAM 3: CLEAN ENERGY AND CLIMATE JUSTICE IN FY 2022ORGANIZING IN THE CLIMATE JUSTICE COMMUNITYAS PART OF MEP'S OVERALL COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, MEP MADE A SUBSTANTIAL SHIFT IN STAFFING, BRINGING ON A NEW DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY AND INCLUSION IN MARCH 2022. THE NEW STAFF PERSON HAS MADE SUBSTANTIAL CONNECTIONS WITH STATEWIDE AND TWIN CITIES-BASED FRONTLINE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, ESPECIALLY GROUPS ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CLIMATE ISSUES. MEP IS INCORPORATING THESE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PERSPECTIVES INTO STATE LEVEL CLIMATE POLICY AND ADVOCACY. CLEAN ENERGY POLICYMEP'S COALITIONAL WORK AT THE 2022 LEGISLATURE HELP EDUCATE LAWMAKERS ABOUT MULTIPLE FUNDING SOURCES TO MOVE CLEAN ENERGY FORWARD, INCLUDING WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE GRANTS TO HELP MAKE HOUSEHOLDS MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND SUPPORT FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION ON PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS.