Demand a Legislative Process
That Puts People First, Not Corporate Special
Interests.
Restore the
Citizens’ Board!
It was unbelievable. A
democratic institution established in 1968 was abolished literally in the dark
of night in the final hours of the 2015 state legislative session. The Citizens’
Board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency had served as a testament to our
Minnesota value that people deserve a say in the decisions that impact their
lives and their communities.
The Citizens’ Board stood for
people over corporate interests. This Board put citizens in a
critical decision-making role and gave them a place to have their voices heard.
That is what happened in August 2014 when the Board listened to farmers and
rural neighbors opposed to a massive proposed 8,850-cow factory farm and ordered
an in-depth environmental review. It was then that corporate interests began
their attack of the Board.
The provision to abolish
the Citizen’s Board was inserted in the last hours of the regular legislative
session into the Omnibus Environment Finance Bill late at night. Many other
rollbacks on bedrock environmental policy were included in this finance bill,
making last session the worst in a decade for our environment. And even though a
strong majority of DFL Senators opposed this provision and voted against it
several times, it was still able to pass the DFL controlled Senate. The fact is that the
current structure of the Minnesota Senate favors corporate special interests
when it comes to protecting our environment.
Take Action
Now! The state legislative session begins March 8. Click here to let your Senator and Senate
Majority Leader Tom Bakk know that we want our Citizens' Board back and a Senate
that puts people first, not corporate interests.
Thanks for your action,
Bobby King
Land Stewardship Project
