Six things MCEA staff are thinking about the election’s impact on our work

The day after the election, our CEO Kathryn Hoffman told staff to do what we needed to do to take care of ourselves. For a nonprofit that relies on science and the law to protect our environment and the health of our people, the election of a fossil fuel enthusiast who believes in industry profits no matter the environmental cost obviously has a lot of implications for our aims. A few days later, Kathryn came back with a directive: “It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.” 

We did. Staff convened to talk about the threats and opportunities presented. Here’s some thoughts that emerged. 

1. We’re ready for this. MCEA was a third of the size it is today when Trump was first elected president in 2016, and even then we successfully held the line and fought back against bad policies pushed forward. We have the talent and team needed to meet this moment and are thinking strategically and tactically about how to protect the win’s we’ve achieved for our environment and public health. 
2. Sulfide mining. The game has changed for sulfide mining. We expect Trump to lift federal moratoriums on mineral exploration in the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And, with a GOP Congress, we will likely also see attempts to further deregulate the mining industry. This has implications for PolyMet, Twin Metals and Talon sulfide-mining pursuits. That said, mining proposals take time, and our lawyers know how to use the law to our advantage. The precedents we’ve won in state court on PolyMet’s permit to mine and water pollution permit will continue to be key roadblocks, and we’re prepared to defend those wins.  Remember, 2024 marks the 20th year since PolyMet was first proposed in our state. Remember too that PolyMet’s permits were issued in 2018 during the first Trump administration. MCEA and our allies have successfully protected our water from this threat for two decades. Together, we’ll continue to hold the line. 
3. Legislative. The new political landscape has ramifications for the upcoming legislative session in Minnesota. Much of our legislative work will focus on defending against attempts to weaken our environmental laws and policies as well as attempts to push forward bills that could harm our environment and/or the health of Minnesotans. Beyond this key defensive work, we’ll search for bipartisan opportunities and lay the groundwork for future big wins by building relationships and working with communities to build power at the Legislature.
4. Clean water. The US Environmental Protection Agency has been a key partner in spurring our state government to take action on the nitrate-contaminated drinking water crisis in southeastern Minnesota. Under a Trump administration it will be up to our state leaders and agencies to continue to prioritize that work. MCEA is advancing internal strategies to make sure they do. Everyone in our state, no matter your zip code, deserves clean drinking water. 
5. On environmental justice, we expect the federal government to step back from commitments like Justice40, which prioritized investing in overburdened communities. Here in Minnesota, we’re currently developing rules to put the cumulative impact law we pushed for into place to protect our own overburdened communities from pollution when the state government issues permits.
6. Climate. With a climate change denier in the White House, any progress on climate will be relegated to the state level. Fortunately, Minnesota has strong laws on the books, including the 100 Percent Clean Energy law. MCEA will continue our work to protect that law as it moves through rule-making, just as we’ll continue to advocate at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the retirement of coal plants and a complete transition to clean, renewable energy to replace fossil fuels as soon as possible. After his VP run, Governor Walz has more visibility and clout than ever to continue Minnesota’s leadership on climate. We’ll push him to use it. In 2017, states and cities recommitted to lead on climate when the federal government stepped back, we expect to see the same in 2025.