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  LWV Upper Mississippi River Region

UMRR blog

Does it take an act of Congress to protect the Mississippi?

3/23/2022

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The answer is that Congress is one piece – an important one – of the solution to the Mississippi’s woes.  In the UMRR Annual Meeting, we will have an exciting panel of speakers to talk about bills currently in the US Congress that have the potential to greatly affect our river.  We will also explore the idea of a “compact” between river states to protect the river from water diversions.  This session will set the stage for the work that LWV UMRR will tackle in the years to come.  

Join LWV UMRR for this session on May 21 at 10:30.  This meeting will be held in Webinar format on Zoom - pre-registration is required.  
Click this link to pre-register!  You will receive the link to the meeting by return email; we will send reminders in May, including on the 21st.   Registration is open until the meeting starts on May 21 at 10:30.  

​We have a great slate of panelists for this session - representatives from other organizations working for the river and leading work on federal bills and big ideas.    We will cover the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience initiative (MRRRI), the Safeguarding the Mississippi River Together initiative (SMRT), the Farm Bill reauthorization and a big idea - the notion of an Upper Midwest Compact to protect the waters of the Mississippi from diversion.  Our speakers represent organizations that are working to protect the Mississippi.  ​
MRRRI Update
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Alicia Vasto, Water Program Associate Director,  Iowa Environmental Council

​Alicia joined the Council in 2019. She grew up in Adel, Iowa. She previously worked as the director of the Iowa
Conservation Education Coalition, where she supported environmental educators and advanced environmental literacy. Alicia holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University with a focus on land conservation and management, and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, travel, and yoga.

SMRT Update
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Brandt Thorington,
Policy Director,  Mississippi River Cities and Town Initiative

Brandt serves as the Policy Director for the MRCTI, specializing  in analyzing legislation affects, building coalitions and advancing legislation. His primary areas of expertise are  appropriations,
tax policy, budget, energy, health care, immigration reform, homeland security, public safety, transportation, water infrastructure, and community development. Brandt has extensive experience working with various levels of government including Congress, federal officials, state legislators, mayors, and other local officials.
Farm Bill Update
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Lara Bryant, Deputy Director, Water and Agriculture, Natural Resources Defence Council

Lara Bryant promotes soil health practices and policies that protect water quality, use water more efficiently, and help farms to be more resilient to climate change. Prior to joining NRDC, she worked on sustainable agricultural policy at the National Wildlife Federation and World Resources Institute and was a chemist at a private environmental laboratory. Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in public administration in environmental science and policy from Columbia University. She works out of NRDC’s Washington, D.C., office.
Upper Midwest Charter
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 Kirsten Wallace, Executive Director, Upper Mississippi River Basin Association

Kirsten Wallace was appointed executive director of UMRBA in 2017, following over 10 years focusing on the Association's ecosystem, navigation, and flood initiatives.  Kirsten works with UMRBA's member states to develop  regional positions, advocate the states' collective interests before Congress and the federal agencies, and facilitate and foster interagency coordination, cooperation, and communication.
Kirsten serves on the Board of the Interstate Council on Water Policy, America's Watershed Initiative, and the National Waterways Foundation.
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Environmental outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard - the impacts of corn ethanol on carbon levels

3/2/2022

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PictureEthanol plant - photo from DTN
On Feb 14, 2022, a group of researchers from the Universities of Wisconsin, Kansas, Kentucky and California published a paper that examines the overall impact of the US Renewable Fuel Standard on carbon in our atmosphere.  Here's a link to that article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Based on  their analysis, the researchers showed that ethanol from corn and other biofuels actually add to green house gases.  

The researchers conclude that when considerations such as land use changes, increased fertilizer use, impacts of ethanol production and more, corn ethanol can actually be increasing green house gases.  Corn ethanol is the current cornerstone of renewable fuels. 

Corn ethanol was found to be worse for the environment than gasoline in this paper.  Researchers from other institutions will add their analyses as they test the hypotheses of this paper.  That is how science works, through testing and data, and rigorous discussion based on facts. 

Science has become politicized, and it is likely that there will be much bluster and ballyhoo about this research, too.  Depending on where you get your news, the interpretation will change.  It's good to look at the data that the conclusions are based on and keep an open mind when the research is discussed.   


This article, on the Civil Eats website, provides a good summary of the paper for non-scientific audiences from an environmental perspective.  Limited reading of the article is allowed before the paywall closes.   This article is from one of the authors of the paper, is a statement of findings in his own words on the UC Davis website.  It is also a good summary of the findings.
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Managing for Water Sustainability - talk from April 4, 2022

2/28/2022

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Minnesota is a state famous for its water resources, yet there are problems.  Conflicting demands are lowering groundwater levels, impacting wetlands and trout streams.  The Minnesota DNR is using an approach that brings together local interests to find solutions that fit for the area.   On  April 4, 2022, Jason Moeckel, Manager of the Inventory, Monitoring and Analysis Section of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources spoke to LWV UMRR on managing for water sustainability.  ​
“In the urgency room you get a little bit more time to analyze the situation, you do a little bit of triage, try to figure out where to focus your resources,”  Moeckel says.  Minnesota is at the 'urgency' stage of water use conflicts.  Our concern as LWV UMRR is water sustainability and what policy choices can be made to better manage the resources we have.  These problems face all the states in the Upper Mississippi basin, and are compounded by contamination that makes the water unusable. 

In this meeting we examined Minnesota's approaches to sustainable water management, the successes and areas where more work is needed.  Water diversions  are another concern, such as the proposed "Water Train" that was averted in Minnesota.  Jaon's talk address these outside threats as well as the everyday threats to water sustainability.
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Minnesota is using a combination of approaches in the areas where water conflicts occur.  These are documented on the DNR website at this link.  The report, "Definitions and Thresholds for Negative Impacts to Surface Waters", set the basis and makes excellent reading!    This report examines the hydrologic linkages between surface and ground water, and how both must be managed together to achieve water sustainability.    
Water Scarcity in the News: 
Here are some recent articles from around our region:

Even in water-rich Michigan, no guarantee of water for all:  

https://www.startribune.com/even-in-water-rich-michigan-no-guarantee-of-enough-for-all/600150817/

Iowa sand mining company abandons appeal to export Iowa groundwater:
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2021/11/24/fracking-sand-mining-company-abandons-appeal-export-iowa-groundwater/8747390002/

Just 50 miles from Lake Michigan, groundwater is running out:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/environment/ct-illinois-water-supply-lake-michigan-aquifers-20210226-27j6lwnyjndjhg4ux5ek42qcxu-story.html​  (This is an excellent article with a lot of information on groundwater in Chicagoland.)

Citing drought, US won't give water to California farmers:
​https://www.startribune.com/citing-drought-us-wont-give-water-to-california-farmers/600149788/

Drastic water use changes proposed to steady White Bear Lake levels:
​https://www.startribune.com/drastic-water-use-changes-proposed-to-steady-white-bear-lake-levels/600148582/

State leaders have the power to help families with polluted wells:
​stevenspoint.news/2021/10/23/state-leaders-have-the-power-to-help-families-with-polluted-wells/

You pray for rain...
​
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/08/03/you-pray-for-rain-low-rivers-stressing-irrigators-recreationists-and-potentially-critters
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States' Progress in Nutrient Loss Reduction

12/20/2021

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On December 14, 2021, the Hypoxia Task Force (HTF) met.  This group, with representatives from 12 states, one tribe and an impressive array of federal agencies, coordinates the activities of the participating groups in attempting to move forward the Nutrient Reduction Strategy with a goal of 45% lower levels of nutrient loss from the land to the Mississippi River and the Gulf.  The HTF was formed in 1997.  The deadline for achieving the nutrient reduction goal keeps moving back.  

Each state has developed its own nutrient reduction strategy to meet its needed share of the nutrient loss reduction.  The map to the right shows the priority watersheds that have been designated in each state as a focus of work.   Progress on the goal is reported every five years, with the last one in 2018 and the next one due in 2023.  

This process has not been universally successful at reducing nutrient losses.  There has been significant success at reducing losses from point sources, but nonpoint sources (i.e. agriculture) are not showing the same level of success.
 Areas of improvement that could be pursued by the Hypoxia Task Force:
1.  States should move to reporting tools that are helpful in understanding the scale of change needed.  This article by the Iowa Environmental Council does a good job of explaining how just recording the number of projects doesn't help really measure progress unless the total number of projects that need to be undertaken is actually known.  They site the website that Kentucky is now using to track progress as a positive example.  


2.  The Hypoxia Task Force should be expanded to include one or more non-governmental entities, for example a non-profit organization like the Mississippi River Network, to represent this sector.  This will increase public participation in the work of the Task Force as well.  

To really make a dent in the nutrient loss that is washing into the Mississippi will require significant change in behavior of people throughout the basin.  This can't be accomplished by agency actions alone.  Public engagement and buy-in is necessary.  


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In a December 20 article "Illinois — a major feeder to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone — falls behind federal goal to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into its waterways", Morgan Greene wrote for the Chicago Tribune:    By 2025, Illinois aims to reduce nitrogen and nitrate by 15% and phosphorus by 25%, with a goal of greater long-term reductions.  Instead, averaged from 2015 to 2019, nitrogen loads increased by 13% compared with a baseline period from 1980 to 1996, and phosphorus loads increased by 35%, according to the latest biennial report on the state’s reduction strategy, released this fall.

The LWV UMRR Blog has covered many aspects of nutrient loss strategies and the Dead Zone in the Gulf.  You can read more about them at the links below:
  •  Nutrient pollution
  • Farm Bill
  • Government policy
  • Outreach and engagement
Nutrient loss reduction is a major goal of the LWV UMRR, and we work through education and advocacy to promote policies and practices in this direction.

Here is a quote from comments that the Mississippi River Network's Masiah Kahn made at the December 14 HTF virtual public meeting:

 This annual public meeting is the only opportunity that the public, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders get to engage the Task Force as a whole – and we think the Task Force can do much better to encourage and enable robust public participation in a meeting like this.

I echo the concerns raised about the fact that despite incremental progress in reduction strategies and the increased adoption of innovative conservation practices, we are nowhere near the interim target of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loading by 20 percent by 2025. We can no longer keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. It’s also hard to see the forest for the trees when the Task Force’s overarching goals are not front and center in meetings like this. 


You can find the presentations and comments from Dec 14 Hypoxia Task Force meeting at this link.  
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Update on MRRRI, Water Law, and new Soil Carbon Report

11/3/2021

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It's time to send a note to your federal elected officials, urging them to support the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative.  This Act, now working its way through Congress, has promise to be very important to protecting and restoring our Mississippi River.  We learned about this at our Annual Meeting this spring; you can see a video of that meeting to learn more about the Initiative.  Here's a link to an Action Request from our sister organization, Friends of the Mississippi River, that will make contacting your legislators easy.

This blog has provided information lots of things, including the flip-flop changes that US Water Law has undergone in since the Obama administration adopted the  Waters of the US Rule.   You can check these out (going back in time) in these posts: 
  • Changes to the Waters of the US Rule will reduce protections -  February 2020
  • WOTUS and the Clean Water Rule open for public comment - February 2019
  • LWV UMRR Advocacy Update - December 2018
  • EPA's Clean Water Rule - what would repeal mean?  - August 2017

​Well, good news for the environment came on October 21, as describe here in a post from the Western Environmental Law Center - here's the highlights - (read the article at this link for the full story)-
"Late last night, fishing and recreation advocates won a significant victory for clean water when a federal district court threw out (vacated) a critical Trump Clean Water Act rule. Today’s order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California restores state and Tribal authority to ensure federally permitted activities in rivers and lakes comply fully with state and Tribal law. The Biden administration had planned to revise the rule to an unknown degree through a years-long public process. This court decision erases the Trump rule completely and immediately."

On to Soil Health News:  The Izaac Walton League has published a new comprehensive review of existing research on soil health and carbon sequestration.  This research comes from a University of Maryland scientist, Dr. Sara Via, and shows that increasing the use of common agricultural practices that improve soil health will slow climate change while producing multiple other environmental and economic benefits. In the report, “Increasing Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture: A Natural Climate Solution,” Dr. Sara Via discusses how rebuilding our degraded agricultural soils and acting on climate change are related problems that require urgent action.  
Dr. Via writes, “the practices recommended in this report provide a low-cost and immediately available way to reduce atmospheric carbon. Given the wide array of co-benefits associated with these practices, increasing their use is an investment in U.S. agriculture that will pay economic and environmental dividends for years to come.”
The report was published in collaboration with the Izaak Walton League of America and the National Wildlife Federation, and is available at this link: www.iwla.org/publications/news/press-release/2021/10/13/viareport 

If you have questions or would like to discuss the report, contact: 
Duane Hovorka, Agriculture Program Director, Izaak Walton League of America, DHovorka@iwla.org, (402) 804-0033 (cell).  

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LWVWI—ASCE WI “Invest in Wisconsin’s Infrastructure"

9/22/2021

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The Wisconsin Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and LWV Wisconsin co-sponsored a series of meetings on Wisconsin's infrastructure in the past year.  The videos from these 11 meetings are now posted.  Here's the information on the meetings that  Carol Diggelman (Emerita Professor, Civil & Architectural Engineering & Construction Management Department, MSOE; Co-Chair, LWV of Milwaukee County Natural Resources Committee and Member, LWVWI and ASCE WI Section) shared recently.  
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ASCE WI-LWVWI “Invest in Wisconsin’s Infrastructure” Overview and Category Series are now complete. You will find the links to video recordings of all programs below. Overview meeting links can also be found on the ASCE WI YouTube channel. Category meeting links can be found on the LWVWI website at this link. 

We encourage everyone to forward these program links to others, particularly your elected officials.

 
Recordings:


Overview Series
  • SE Quadrant Meeting  - March 4  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZRhDpjBmEA
  • SW Quadrant Meeting - March 1  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8uvolJZzM
  • NW Quadrant Meeting -April 1  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfNIJ7Wjwk8
  • NE Quadrant Meeting - April 15  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgIfFcRbBUI

Category Series
  • Energy - May 6  https://youtu.be/THzNDryfUf4
  • Bridges & Roads - May 27  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1tQt12AOpg
  • Aviation & Transit - June 17  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX4lWEtdm0Y
  • Inland Waterways & Ports - July 8  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stjEaZ4OEUc
  • Stormwater & Dams - July 29  https://youtu.be/ICb03c2orl0 
  • Water & Wastewater - August 5  https://youtu.be/NRUCBKreJ3I
  • Hazardous & Solid Waste - August 19  https://youtu.be/DZMCVMVuAA0
 


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Carbon capture through conservation practices

3/30/2021

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Human activities have fundamentally altered our landscape, and the outcome has been degradation of the earth's natural processes and cycles.  Conservation practices are used to restore the natural hydrology and ecosystems in a patchwork of promise across the landscape.  Can these conservation practices also help to capture carbon in the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gases and helping to combat climate change?  
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Restored wetland - photo credit to Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources
The answer is all too familiar - it depends.  Practices like turning marginal cropland into restored wetlands ​does increase the permanent land cover and can encourage the growth of woody plants, but wetlands also emit methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.  This 2019 report by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources finds "... Drainage of wetlands and conversion to cropland can release significant amounts of long-stored carbon through organic matter decomposition. However, wetlands  also emit methane, making it difficult to assess their role relative to GHG emissions. Methane emissions are highest in wetlands that are permanently or frequently inundated, while less frequently inundated wetland types such as wet meadows appear to sequester more GHGs (green house gases) than they emit. "

Similarly, the role of other conservation measures - for example cover crops - has to be carefully considered before values for carbon capture are assigned.  This UMRR blog post from December, 2020, outlines a growing experiment in development of a carbon market in Minnesota.  Now, the budget proposed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for the Board of Water and Soil Resources includes funding for expansion of carbon markets in Minnesota - see page 46 here.  

Let's be clear here.  Conservation practices are a good thing.  LWV UMRR 
strongly agrees that cover crops and reduced tillage are vital climate adaptation and resilience measures, providing undeniable benefits to soil health and farm resilience. Improved soil health, keeping water on the land, and restoring habitat will have benefits broadly, including making our landscapes more resilient to the added stresses of our changing climate.  Our concern is that cover crops and no-till may play a minimal role in sequestering carbon.   LWV UMRR is joining with other environmental organizations in Minnesota in requesting that more consideration be given to scientific data on carbon capture before the state more strongly commits to including cover crops and no-till as eligible practices in a carbon market.  

Watch the LWV UMRR Blog for continued reporting on this issue.  

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US Army Corps of Engineers seeking comments on the Water Resources Development Act - public meetings in March, comment period ends May 7

3/8/2021

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The Water Protection Network has shared upcoming opportunities for organizations to provide input to the Army Corps of Engineers on developing implementation guidance for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020, the bill that authorizes projects and policy changes for the Corps. The Corps issued this notice, published today in the Federal Register, opening a 60-day public comment period (May 7, 2021 deadline) and announcing a series of virtual stakeholder sessions (listed below) for the public to provide input and recommendations to the Assistant Secretary of the Army-Civil Works on any provisions of WRDA 2020.
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This Act includes provisions that recognize the role of climate change in water management.  There are some provisions that could be seen to be positive, and some that are more troubling.  You can read a summary of the bill at this link, and we've also included it at the end of this post.  

​Click here for a summary, from the  National Wildlife Federation, of key provisions of WRDA 2020 that they have identified to benefit the environment, underserved communities, and Tribes; that are particularly harmful to the environment; and that advance restoration of important ecosystems.

LWV UMRR urges people interested in the river to take time to dig into the Corps' plans for implementing the WRDA and raise concerns where appropriate.  Here's the information on public comment - note that these meetings start next week!   Sitting in on one of these virtual meetings would be a good way to get an overview of the issues at stake; final date for submitting comments is May 7.  

Stakeholder sessions:
  • March 16, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern to receive comments on Navigation (Inland and Coastal) provisions
  • March 23, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern to receive comments on Flood Risk and Coastal Risk Storm Damage provisions
  • March 30, 2021 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern to receive comments on Ecosystem Restoration and Nuisance Species provisions
  • April 6, 2021 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern to receive comments on Water Supply and Hydropower provisions
  • April 13, 2021 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern to receive comments on any WRDA 2020 provisions
  • Join any of the sessions listed above at https://usace1.webex.com/​meet/​WRDA2020 or by calling in to (844) 800-2712, Code 199 937 4287
  • For more information about the stakeholder sessions may be directed to Mr. Gib Owen at 571-274-1929, gib.a.owen.civ@mail.mil, or Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, 108 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-0108.


Submitting comments:
  • Submit comments by the public comment deadline, Friday, May 7, 2021, and include Docket ID No. COE-2021-0002 in the subject line.
  • Submit by Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/COE_FRDOC_0001-0893
  • Submit by email: WRDA2020@usace.army.mil
  • Submit by mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Ms. Amy Frantz, CEW-P, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 3F91, 441 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20314.
 
More information:
  • Read the Federal Register notice here.
  • Read the WRDA bill text here.

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Ag-Urban Partnership for Water Quality - Trading Guidance published, pilot project planned

3/1/2021

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In our December blog post,  we told you about the Ag-Urban Partnership Forum hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.   In a recent email, Katrina Kessler of MPCA  said:

"I am reaching out to let you know that the MPCA recently published a detailed Water Quality Trading Guidance document and a companion website that provide a high-level introduction to the concept of water quality trading. Water quality trading provides a mechanism and legal framework for regulated wastewater and stormwater sources to engage in watershed-based water quality restoration and protection partnerships, and is closely related to the ecosystem services marketplace ideas presented at the Ag-Urban Partnership Forum.
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The Water Quality Trading Guidance is available on the MPCA’s water quality trading webpage. I encourage you to visit the website and, if you are interested, review the guidance document.
​​

I am also pleased to share that the MPCA, in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), will be initiating a pilot project to increase awareness and participation in water quality trading opportunities. We are excited to work with local resource managers and agricultural producers to identify how state agencies and local partners can work on innovative water quality solutions."

​
We will continue to follow developments and share them on the blog.  Trading is an important option for reducing nonpoint source pollution.  Read more about MPCA's efforts in trading on their website's trading page.  

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Regulatory Capture and Minnesota's Government:   Working for the Public Interest, or Special Interests?

2/28/2021

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Monday, March 15, 2021, 7:00 p.m. – Public Meeting via Zoom
 presented by: Don Arnosti, Environmental Organizer
                                                                                                
This program is a Zoom Webinar hosted by LWV Woodbury Cottage Grove (MN).   Please register here:

https://lwvmn-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yswZ8tQMTceo0c286C7C-A

Open to the public – invite a friend!

​Regulatory capture occurs when government serves private interests instead of enforcing existing laws written in the public interest.   Don Arnosti provides evidence that documents regulatory capture
  • in multiple Minnesota agencies
  • on various Minnesota issues 
  • during the administrations of all political parties.
 
Don Arnosti has 30 years of broad expertise in environmental policy and organizing. He currently consults for the Friends of the Minnesota Valley on agricultural drainage issues. Don Arnosti is a long-time, active member in Minnesota Environmental Partnership (in which LWVMN belongs). He served as Executive Director for Audubon Minnesota and the Izaak Walton League, and in various positions for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, and Clean Water Action. He has worked with people in all corners of the state to protect water, land and wildlife, while incorporating rural communities' interest in farming, forestry and tourism.

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