MISSION STATEMENT:
The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy is a nonprofit organization that uses law, science and research to protect Minnesota's environment, its natural resources and the health of its people.
MAJOR PROGRAM AREAS
Clean Energy and Climate: MCEA’S Climate Team strives to achieve equitable, economy-wide greenhouse gas reductions, while encouraging community and institutional resilience to adapt to unavoidable climate change. MCEA was instrumental in the coalition that supported major updates to the state’s policies on climate change at the state legislature in 2023, including updated goals for reducing greenhouse gases and a rapid transition to 100% clean energy. MCEA’s legal and policy experts work to enforce and implement those new laws by supporting long-term development of modern and sustainable energy sources for Minnesota and shifting away from fossil fuel use to reduce carbon pollution. To support this goal, MCEA serves as legal counsel for several Minnesota clean energy organizations.
Northeast Minnesota Program: This program works to protect the land, water, and people of Northeastern Minnesota, and to promote a safe and healthy future for all Northeastern Minnesotans. MCEA works to protect Northeastern Minnesota communities and waters from mining pollution, especially sulfide mining pollution, by holding state agencies accountable in permitting and enforcement processes. MCEA also works to protect and enhance Northeastern Minnesota lands, forests, and biodiversity, especially for climate resilience. This program is designed to partner with local communities most affected by historic pollution, and build bridges to new partners, including those with whom our views may not always align.
Water Quality: MCEA’s Water Quality program focuses on protecting Minnesota’s greatest natural resource and economic asset: its water. Minnesotans rely on our water for drinking, recreation, travel, a wide variety of economic activity, and well-being. MCEA works to protect surface and groundwater by securing more effective controls on “forever chemicals”, agricultural runoff, and pollution. MCEA also seeks to protect Lake Superior from the dual threats of pollution and invasive species. MCEA partners with communities to protect local drinking water sources from a wide range of threats that undermine public health.
Healthy Communities: Environmental harms fall more heavily on some communities that are historically and disproportionately affected by environmental impacts and pollution. In these areas, environmental laws are ignored or enforced in such a way to protect polluters, not the community. MCEA’s advocacy focuses on building and protecting healthy communities for all. The Healthy Communities program leverages MCEA’s legal skills, organizational resources, and access to decision-makers to build power for communities and fight for environmental justice alongside our partners. MCEA is proud to have dedicated and general funding to support its environmental justice work, and aims to integrate environmental justice principles into every aspect of its work.
MAJOR PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Proposed gas plant stalled
This fall, the two utilities seeking to build a gas plant in the Duluth-Superior area withdrew the project’s air pollution permit, meaning construction cannot begin. Over the last eight years MCEA and our partners have used creative legal strategies and on-the-ground organizing to keep the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC) at bay.
PolyMet forced to re-evaluate
After twenty years of MCEA and our allies exposing the inadequacies of its sulfide mining proposal in court and elsewhere, PolyMet has finally acknowledged that its original proposal may indeed be flawed, and announced plans to conduct internal studies to examine how to potentially make it “better.”
In November, DNR announced it was suspending its decision in the PolyMet permit-to-mine case, stating it would be wasteful to continue spending the state’s limited time and resources on a proposal that may soon be rendered “moot.”
Toxic foundry closes in East Phillips
After decades of emitting harmful air pollution into the East Phillips community in violation of the federal Clean Air Act, Smith Foundry finally closed its doors in August after reaching a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency. Now an entire community long overburdened by pollution can finally breathe a little easier. MCEA was honored to work alongside them to help achieve this long-overdue victory.
State launches response to drinking water crisis in SE Minn.
Thanks to the petition MCEA and allies filed for federal intervention in southeastern Minnesota’s drinking water crisis, the state is finally taking steps to address the industrial agricultural practices driving it. The Legislature allocated millions to cover public health and conservation measures requested by state agencies. Already, the state is reaching out to vulnerable well owners and is revising water pollution permits for industrial feedlots, one of the key drivers of the dangerously high nitrate-pollution in the water.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND POPULATION SERVED
The entire state and population of Minnesota
Fiscal Year 2024 MCEA Board of Directors
Financial data for FY 2024 annual report
TOTAL REVENUE: $2,817,765
SOURCES OF REVENUE:
Contributions: $2,544,126
Program Services, Investment and Other: $273,639
TOTAL EXPENSES: $4,026,895 organizational growth completely funded by MCEA's undesignated net assets
FUNCTIONAL EXPENSE ALLOCATION:
Program expenses: $3,09,896
Management and Administration: $381,955
Fundraising: $548,044
TOTAL COST FOR EACH MAJOR PROGRAM:
Clean Energy and Climate Change: $1,231,039
Northeast Minnesota: $623,973
Water Quality: $717,691
Healthy Communities: $542,193