MCEA October 2024 Newsletter
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In this edition of MCEA’s Environmental Monitor:
- Learn how MCEA has kept PolyMet at bay
- Take a deep dive into what the PUC’s latest decision could mean for our climate
- Step up to protect OUR Minnesota
- Take action to protect Minnesota’s pollinators and our public health
- Gratitude for the collective support at our annual fall event
- Read breaking news on the NTEC proposed gas plant
- Find out why MCEA staff have been regulars at the Minneapolis City Council meetings
- Last chance for tickets to this year’s Oratorio Concert with MCEA
- RSVP to an exclusive post-election opportunity for Amici
- Trivia: What’s one thing holding us back from building more clean infrastructure?
- What we’re reading
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Partner spotlight - find out what coalition won a Regional Emmy Award
Image courtesy of Rob Levine
We couldn’t have kept PolyMet’s speculative and dangerous sulfide mine proposal at bay without years of coalition work with the local community, allied organizations, the Fond du Lac Band, and your support. But what, in particular, has MCEA helped to accomplish in the fight?
Learn what members of our PolyMet team had to say in our latest blog post, The MCEA Effect: 20 years on the PolyMet case.
Check out our latest blog post
MCEA joined Natural Resources Defense Council and Minnesota Trout Unlimited to petition the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to create rules to regulate neonicotinoid pesticide-coated seeds. These seeds are used in over 12 million acres of farmland in our state and are the main avenue for neonics entering our ecosystems and our bodies, where they can cause substantial harm. The MDA has the authority to regulate these seeds like they do any other pesticide in the state. It’s time they use it.
The MDA received our petition two weeks ago and has 60 days to respond. It’s imperative you take action today to join us and tell state leaders you want stronger protections against neonics for our health and ecosystems.
Last month the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) left the door open for trash incineration and biomass (in common terms burning trash and trees) to be considered “carbon-free” energy sources under the 100% carbon-free energy law. If that sentence is confusing or frustrating, you know how we felt when we heard the decision.
Since then, our experts have taken a closer look at what this could mean for the future of Minnesota’s landmark climate law.
Thank you to everyone who celebrated 50 years of work with us at our annual fall event, Defending True North!
We are thrilled to report that MCEA raised more than $207,000, including a $30,000 challenge gift from former staff and board that was unlocked when 109 people made gifts to help protect Minnesota’s environment.
Defending True North was an amazing reminder of the collective power we share to create systemic change. This is our environment, and we’re protecting it together.
Each of us has a reason we love Minnesota, from the Boundary Waters to our own backyards. That’s why for 50 years, MCEA has been standing up to polluting industries, making sure our water is clean and our air is safe to breathe. It’s why we’re securing the systemic changes in clean energy we need to fight climate change. Everyday we’re in courts and at the legislature, working with people most impacted by pollution, because this is our Minnesota and we’re protecting it together.
Minnesota is a powerhouse in so many ways - let’s show the nation how great statewide environmental action feels! Donate to MCEA for Give to the Max Day, early giving starts tomorrow, November 1.
Pictured left: MCEA staff Juventino Meza, Evan Mulholland, and Luke Norquist at a Minneapolis City Council meeting. Pictured right: Luke Norquist testifying before the Minneapolis City Council in favor of shutting down the HERC incinerator.
This month MCEA staff were at the Minneapolis City Council advocating to shut down the HERC incinerator. City support is crucial to help move Hennepin County toward zero-waste solutions and stop reliance on this outdated and polluting facility.
Shutting down the HERC means refusing to continue the decades-long legacy of harm to the health and well-being of people living nearby. It also means looking head-on at the connections between how we manage our waste and the climate crisis. You can learn more about why we support the closure here and check out the plan for waste diversion from the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table and Zero Waste USA here.
Since 2017, MCEA has been fighting to stop the construction of a proposed gas plant, Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC). Because in 2024, as the climate crisis worsens every day, we should not be investing in more fossil fuel infrastructure. This month, the co-owners of NTEC withdrew their application for a Wisconsin state air pollution permit. Without this air permit it is illegal for the facility to be built.
This is a huge win for our climate. Before moving forward with NTEC, the co-owners would need to reapply for and receive a new air permit, obtain a subsidy from the federal government, and secure a federal wetlands permit. We continue to fight this ill-conceived plan on all fronts and advocate for expanded investments in renewable energy, storage, and transmission. Read more on the win from our coalition partner Sierra Club.
MCEA is excited to partner with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota on the Midwest debut of a new environmental-themed piece called A Passion for the Planet. The concerts will kickoff with a welcome speech by our CEO, Kathryn Hoffman. Our team will also be in the lobby and excited to connect with you.
If you use the following links to buy your tickets, a $5 contribution will be made to MCEA. We hope to see you Saturday, November 16 or Sunday, November 17!
A recent Star Tribune article dove into Minnesota’s potentially solar-powered future. What’s one reason clean energy projects like solar are often stalled in our state?
a) Transmission infrastructure can’t handle the additional electricity
b) Long winters mean less sun
c) A lack of capital investment and demand in the projects
d) Solar supply chains haven’t recovered from Covid-19 slow down
Nitrate contamination from large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is an issue impacting communities across the country. We loved this in depth piece on the impacts in Washington and Oregon, showing how advocates across the country are pushing for federal action to protect drinking water.
For those of you in our Amici Giving Circle, Kathryn Hoffman and Chris Tanita will be hosting an online conversation on November 13, 2024 at noon. Join us for “The Election is Over, Now What?” where these two MCEA leaders will break down what we know and how to move forward in our environmental advocacy. Amici members will be invited by email - please watch for an invitation from Debra deNoyelles on November 6.
Not sure if you’re a member of the Amici Giving Circle or want to get access to special opportunities like this? Email Debra to learn more!
Water Over Nickel, a coalition MCEA is a member of, was honored over the weekend with a Regional Emmy Award at the 25th Annual Upper Midwest Emmy Awards.
The award recognizes their powerful video, highlighting the importance of protecting Minnesota's water, land, and people from the risks of nickel mining. Congratulations to the team who worked on the video and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe on this recognition.