Legislative session off to a rocky start, but MCEA is on the case
By Aaron Klemz, MCEA Chief Strategy Officer
On January 14th, the new session of the Minnesota Legislature began. It’s been one of the strangest legislative sessions we’ve ever seen, with a Minnesota House that’s been unable to bridge a partisan divide and an evenly divided Minnesota Senate, pending a special election. And yet, standing together for Minnesota’s environment is more important than ever as the Legislature navigates these uncharted waters.
The partisan divide at the Legislature is both very, very narrow and very, very deep, but rather than let these machinations distract us, MCEA’s legislative team is working hard to push for our legislative priorities. We’re also highlighting serious concerns about legislation that would weaken Minnesota’s response to PFAS, the climate crisis, and water pollution.
With all of the noise about which party controls what in Minnesota, added to the blizzard of federal actions, this is a really challenging moment for people who care about the environment and public health. The most important thing to remember is that your voice matters. This is a good time to reach out to your legislators and other elected officials that represent you and tell them what’s important to you.
We’ve got one such action you can take today - contact your legislators and tell them to protect Minnesota’s nation-leading law to address PFAS “forever chemical” pollution. We're already seeing industries challenging “Amara’s Law” which brought legislators together across the aisle to ban these chemicals from our products.
What has happened so far?
Not very much, unfortunately.
Agreement about the most basic ideas, such as what a “majority” means to establish a quorum (the minimum number of members required to do business), have eluded Minnesota House leaders. Now three weeks into the legislative session, the dispute between DFL and Republican members of the Minnesota House remains unresolved.
DFL members have refused to come to St. Paul. Republican members have voted for Rep. Lisa Demuth to be Speaker of the House, introduced legislation, appointed committees, and are holding hearings. The DFL’s claim that all of these actions are illegitimate since there is no quorum for the House was upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court. The Court issued an order on January 24 that clarified that a quorum under the Minnesota Constitution requires 68 members to be present. That’s led to the cancellation of all House actions taken by Republicans so far. It remains to be seen if the Supreme Court’s order will lead to a negotiated resolution.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Senate is dealing with a deadlock of their own, but in a different way. The passing of Sen. Kari Dziedzic has created a 33-33 tie in the Minnesota Senate until a special election is completed. This was a terrible loss for the Legislature and the state - we will miss Sen. Dziedzic’s leadership and voice for environmental issues in her district and statewide. DFL and GOP leaders in the Minnesota Senate have agreed to a power-sharing arrangement until a new member is seated. That agreement provides for equal party representation on committees and co-chairs of each committee. On January 28, Senator-Elect Doron Clark won an overwhelming 91%-9% victory in Senate District 60 and he should be seated in the Minnesota Senate some time in early February.
Ultimately, there will need to be bipartisan solutions to break the gridlock. A budget must be agreed upon and passed by June 30th, and that will require majorities in both the Minnesota House and Senate. Since neither party has 68 votes in the Minnesota House, by definition, any solution will need to be bipartisan.
MCEA’s Priorities for 2025
Continuing Minnesota’s progress in addressing nitrate pollution of drinking water: In 2024, we helped secure $2.9 million in general fund spending to help well owners whose drinking water is polluted by nitrates. We’re working to introduce a bill that continues Minnesota’s support for water treatment and well repairs to protect the health of people who depend on groundwater.
Defending Minnesota’s environmental progress on PFAS, clean energy, and water pollution: We’ve already seen bills introduced that would delay implementation and create loopholes in Minnesota’s PFAS law, that would delay and create loopholes in Minnesota’s 100% carbon-free electricity law, and delay or repeal the DNR’s update to Minnesota’s public waters list. MCEA is committed to defending the progress we’ve made over the past two sessions (and the past five decades), and we need your help to show legislators that Minnesota wants to continue moving forward, not go backwards.
Educating legislators about the risks of sulfide mining: The first permits issued by Minnesota agencies to a copper-nickel sulfide mine (for the PolyMet proposal) have been reversed by Minnesota courts. While this issue has occupied the courts for the past 5 years, there’s been little discussion of the risks of this type of mining at the Minnesota Legislature. MCEA is preparing an outreach effort that will connect legislators with accurate information and the perspectives of their constituents, with the goal of improving the conversation.
Of course, MCEA is always on the case in defending Minnesota’s bedrock environmental laws from attack. In all of this work, we stay grounded. We listen to the communities that are most affected by pollution, we focus on the big picture of how we can deliver clean water and climate justice for Minnesotans, and we know that the voices of Minnesotans matter at the Legislature.
Please take a moment to take action today on PFAS, and watch your email for other opportunities to join the conversation at the Legislature. Thanks for your action and your support of our work!