A bipartisan group is asking voters to extend the life span of a lottery-funded environmental program. This program has funded habitat restoration, protection of Minnesota waters, and fighting invasive species. They may need to overcome opposition from other legislators, who want to use the money to pay wastewater treatment upgrades and other infrastructure.
In 2024, a constitutional amendment requires that the Legislature use at least 40% of the money it has raised from ticket sales to fund the environment.
State Senators Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point) and Foung Hawj (DFL-St. Paul) would ask voters for an extension of that constitutional mandate until 2050. Their ProposalThe fund’s cut would be increased to 50% of lottery revenues, providing an additional $12,000,000 per year. It would also prohibit lawmakers using any money to upgrade or build wastewater treatment plants. This is a controversial point that has impeded and threatened spending in recent years.
Ruud stated, “This is such an amazing jewel, a gem.” “It attracts people all over the country to visit because they know we have these funds for research.”
The fund was established by 77% of Minnesota voters in 1988. It has raised approximately $700 million for a variety of programs and research. It has been used to establish research centers at the University of Minnesota to combat invasive pests like zebra mussels, buckthorn, and invasive carp. The money was used in the creation of a Prionen research centerIt was used to stop the spread and spread of chronic wasting disease among the state’s deer. It has restored hiking trails and helped reduce pollution that seeps into the drinking water.
The environmental trust fund has seen record-breaking sales of lottery tickets and scratch-off tickets in the past decade. It now provides funding for approximately 80 restoration and research projects each year, with an average of $65 million to $70 million.
The Senate proposal would also grant $10 million annually in lottery winnings to the environmental fund. This amount is not claimed by ticket buyers. The total changes would increase the fund’s value to $92 million per year.
The environmental fund has enjoyed bipartisan support for a long time. However, the question of how to spend it has been a source of contention. In 2018, the Republican-controlled Legislature and former Gov. Mark Dayton and the Republican-controlled Legislature reached an agreement to create a budget that would have used money taken from the fund for wastewater treatment upgrades or hazardous waste cleanup. Eight environmental groups sued, claiming it was a misuse. Gov. Tim Walz and lawmakers reached an agreement in 2019, restoring the money the trust fund.
2020 saw the trust fund be tied to a larger battle over the Walz administration’s Clean Cars rules. The Senate Republicans refused to approve any environmental fund dollars in 2020. They demanded that Walz stop his plan to adopt stricter vehicle emission standards. The impasse halted funding for more than one year but was eventually resolved without any changes to Clean Cars rules.
Ruud claimed that the environmental fund was not intended to pay for major infrastructure upgrades in wastewater treatment. The state has always paid for these projects through other means.
She stated, “We would be very specific about that it’s not what money is for.” “If we started funding our wastewater needs, which are met, from that fund, it will absorb it all.”
It is not clear how much support Ruud will receive from her own party to bring about this change.
Sen. David Senjem (R-Rochester) said that the environmental fund has stood up to the test of time. Senjem said that future legislators and the citizen committee that advises should decide whether they want to use any money to improve wastewater treatment system.
He said, “When you travel in this state, city upon city have broken down, dilapidated, and non-compliant water treatment systems.”