While national politics takes up the big headlines right now, at MNTU we are looking ahead to the next state legislative session and preparing our policy platform. Preventing Fish Kills will continue to be an overarching goal of MNTU as we consider specific issues that will conserve, protect, restore, and...
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is asking for public comment to proposed changes to feedlot general permits issued to large feedlots of 1,000 or more animal units for operation and construction. Minnesota Trout Unlimited supports the much-needed additional oversight and regulations included of applications of manure to the land. Manure...
May 10, 2024 We're coming to the finish line for the Minnesota Legislative session and we need you to contact your Senator and Representative today to demand critical provisions that will prevent future fish kills remain in the final bills. The House and Senate versions of the Environment Omnibus bill differ, and many good...
MNTU identified several improvements that should be made to ensure timely investigation and better public disclosure of lessons to be learned from any fish kill. Below is a summary of improvements needed. Background: The most recent large fish kill in a southeast Minnesota trout stream occurred on Rush Creek in July...
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill including a requirement that state agencies identify the statutes and rules that should be changed to prevent fish kills in southeast Minnesota. This provision was rolled into the large Environment Omnibus bill HF2310. However, the House version of the bill does not contain this requirement. We need your...
The Legislature now looks disturbingly close to ending its session without passing a Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) appropriation bill. If it fails to act this year and respect the LCCMR vetting process, our outdoor education program will cease. The Senate passed its version of the LCCMR appropriation bill HF...
The Trout in the Classroom program - now in 60 schools around MN - will be forced to end on June 30 unless the Legislature passes an appropriations bill that respects the work of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). A phone call from you to your state senator...
While differences between the House, Senate, and Governor over the state budget have increased thelikelihood of a special session, the Legacy bill relies on dedicated revenues and can still be passed by theend of the regular session on May 17—with or without a budget agreement. Dedicated funding toprotect and restore...
What do the Whitewater, Vermillion, Straight and Sucker rivers all have in common besides being popular trout streams? They all suffer from one or more impairments caused by pollution or degradation. This week the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released its Draft 2020 Impaired Waters List identifying more than 500 additional stream...
The Environment & Natural Resources omnibus bill, SF2314, contains several provisions which, if adopted in the final bill version, would undermine basic groundwater protections and allow destruction of trout fisheries. The Senate version of SF 2314 has provisions (Sections 81, 82, 84 and 85) undermining intelligent groundwater management, which will lead...
