Photo credit: Legislative Coordinating Commission
Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership
The United States General Election is now less than ninety days away, and it’s shaping up to be an especially historic one for Minnesota. The balance of power in the Legislature is closely contested, a U.S. Senate seat is on the ballot for the first time since 2020, and Minnesota’s Governor is in the running for Vice President. These races may be closely contested, but we hope that one item on the ballot won’t be: the constitutional amendment to enhance and renew funding for the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).
The ENRTF is one of Minnesota’s environmental triumphs: a source of funding for conservation, research, restoration, and more that gets its funding from the state lottery and trust fund investments, not from taxes.
The constitutional amendment that established the fund explicitly dedicates it to projects that will enhance the natural environment. Despite some attempts by the Legislature to divert Trust Fund dollars to other purposes, that dedication has been going strong for more than three decades.
Minnesotans have historically shown overwhelming support for the ENRTF, as its most recent renewal shows. The 1998 gubernatorial election saw a close three-way split between three candidates; at the same time, a whopping voters chose to renew the Trust Fund and its lottery dollars.
Much credit is due to the organizations working to ensure it passed. Groups working on issues across the environment and conservation spectrum – clean water, climate action, hunting and fishing, transportation, and more – agree on supporting the ENRTF, even when we have differences on other issues.
That’s not to say the ENRTF model is flawless. Funded projects are recommended by a committee consisting of Legislators and citizens and must then be approved by the Legislature. That process is long and can be difficult to access, leading many larger institutions like the University of Minnesota to hire dedicated lobbyists to secure funding. Smaller groups and communities with fewer resources don’t have that option.
In addition, relying for funding on the lottery, whose players are disproportionately lower-income, also raises questions of economic and environmental justice. How do we ensure that the Trust Fund supports projects that benefit lower-income communities?
Currently, large institutions like colleges and state agencies win the lion’s share of the funding. That’s not to say their projects aren’t worthy, but MEP and allies believe that smaller initiatives – neighborhood pollinator gardens, tree planting in urban areas most affected by extreme heat, indigenous farming plans, and more – should get a slice of the pie.
Fortunately, a vote to renew the ENRTF this fall would also add a new feature to make funds more accessible. Thanks to legislation passed last year, ENRTF renewal would also set aside 1.5% of the Trust Fund each year for a Community Grants Program operating outside the normal Legislative process, overseen by a committee of citizen appointees housed under the DNR.
This program would “expand the number and diversity of recipients who benefit from the environment and natural resources trust fund, especially in communities that have been adversely affected by pollution and environmental degradation.” That will make accessing state support far easier for diverse and rural community members.
We’re confident that Minnesotans will once again choose to pass funding renewal for the ENRTF and its new grants program in the swiftly approaching November election, but we won’t take it for granted. We urge our readers of all political stripes to talk to your friends and neighbors about the importance of renewing the Trust Fund. You might also consider your community’s needs – would your neighbors benefit from a stream restoration, habitat enhancement, or community garden? Very soon, the ENRTF may lend a hand.