News Release: COMPLETE STREETS SUCCESS TOPS 2010 LEGISLATURE’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON ENVIRONMENT

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 17, 2010

Contact: 
Steve Morse, Minnesota Environmental Partnership
651.290.0154

Cathy Kennedy, Minnesota Environmental Partnership
612.309.3951, mobile

COMPLETE STREETS SUCCESS TOPS
2010 LEGISLATURE’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON ENVIRONMENT

Transit Funding, Mining Disappointments Produce Mixed Results for Session

Saint Paul (May 17, 2010) – The Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP), a statewide coalition of more than 80 conservation and environmental groups, today heralded Complete Streets legislation as one of the top accomplishments by the 2010 Minnesota Legislature to protect and defend Minnesota’s Great Outdoors.

On Saturday, May 15, 2010, Governor Tim Pawlenty signed into law legislation that will make Minnesota streets and roads safer for all Minnesotans while protecting air and water and promoting clean transportation choices. Complete Streets is an improved way of planning streets and roads in Minnesota that local governments - with local citizen input - can choose to implement. The Complete Streets legislation was supported by a broad coalition of organizations representing health, environment, transportation, energy, disabled and senior citizens. (www.saferoadsmn.org).

“Complete Streets is vital to protect Minnesota’s future, by encouraging more walking, bicycling and public transportation options,” said Steve Morse, executive director of MEP. “By removing barriers, this legislation encourages cleaner air, water and more clean transportation choices and helps move Minnesota away from its dirty fuel dependence.”

However, Morse noted that Governor Tim Pawlenty’s vetoes of $43 million in transit bonding and the Legislature’s failure to protect Minnesota’s waters from non-ferrous sulfide mining pollution produced overall mixed session results for Minnesota’s clean energy and Great Outdoors future.

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Funding Maintained, but Transit Funding Vetoed
Despite a tumultuous budgeting year, Morse said the Legislature generally followed the mandate from Minnesota voters by upholding the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Constitutional Amendment and enacting $59 million in 25 additional improvements to Minnesota’s water, land and wildlife habitat.

“Cuts to conservation and environmental funding were proportional with other budget cuts, and bonding for clean water and land conservation was maintained at the traditional level of at least 22 percent of total long-term investments. These actions will help ensure that we can pass on Minnesota’s Great Outdoors legacy to our children and grandchildren,” Morse commented.

“Unfortunately, adequate transit funding remains an ongoing concern, due to the fact that Governor Tim Pawlenty axed every transit project in the bonding bill with line item vetoes. The Minnesota Legislature had included $46 million for Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota transit improvements only to have them squashed by Governor Pawlenty. These projects would have offered more transportation choices and reduced Minnesota’s reliance on dirty, unsafe fuels.”
 
Minnesota’s Clean Energy Future Protected; 92% of Minnesotans Support More Wind & Solar Power
For Minnesota’s Clean Energy Future, Morse said the good news is that despite efforts to allow more dirty coal energy, the Legislature kept in place the existing moratorium on new power from coal. In addition, despite multiple efforts to repeal the state prohibition on more nuclear power, the Legislature held strong and did not repeal the nuclear ban or weaken Minnesota’s commitment to increasing renewable energy, such as wind and solar.

Morse stated that these efforts reflect Minnesota voters’ attitudes. In November 2009 polling, 92 percent of Minnesotans voiced support for more wind and solar power to meet Minnesota’s future energy needs, compared to only 48% supporting more coal production. In addition, 52% supported maintaining the existing ban on constructing additional nuclear power plants. *

Mining: Missed Opportunity to Safeguard Water
Wrapping up the conservation and environment assessment of the session, Morse said it was shortsighted that legislators blocked an initiative to protect Minnesota’s lakes and rivers, including the Boundary Waters, from pollution threats of non-ferrous sulfide mining: “That legislation would have strengthened damage deposit requirements for these toxic producing mines so that taxpayers would not be stuck paying the bill for expensive mining pollution clean-up costs. Legislators missed an opportunity to protect our water for future generations.”  

Minnesota Environmental Partnership (www.MEPartnership.org) is a statewide coalition of more than 80 nonprofit conservation and environmental organizations, representing more than 450,000 Minnesotans. Formed in 1998, MEP works with its member organizations to protect and restore Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, streams, forests, wildlife habitat and natural areas.

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Click here to download the MEP 2010 Legislative Session summary handout (pdf).