Elections have consequences. Unfortunately, a consequence of the 2016 election for Minnesota’s Legislature was a dire political environment for work to protect our state’s clean water, clean air and the health of our communities. Heavily influenced by corporate interests and an ideological agenda, the legislative majority introduced numerous bills aimed at rolling back bedrock environmental protections, clean energy incentives, funding for public transit and more.
These misguided attacks had Sierra Club staff, volunteers and citizen advocates working overtime this session to hold the line in defense of Minnesota’s natural environment. Together, working with numerous allies, we were able to fight off some of most egregious provisions, but of course, could not stop them all. See below for a list of the major environment, energy, and transit proposals from this session and what the final outcomes were.