NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:  Tuesday, May 8 

Sierra Club responds to introduction of BWCAW School Trust Fund land bill by Rep. Cravaack

On Tuesday, the Sierra Club announced opposition to H.R. 5544, introduced by Representative Chip Cravaack (R – MN8), a bill that would set a damaging precedent for relinquishing National Forest land in Northeastern Minnesota. 

“This bill would create a troubling and dangerous precedent, and would significantly undermine public participation in decisions regarding Minnesota’s public lands,” said Margaret Levin, State Director of the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. "It is disappointing that Representative Cravaack would propose to take away decisions affecting our state’s economy, communities and children without a full public process.” 

The recently introduced legislation would expedite the transfer of tens of thousands of acres of protected National Forest land into state management intended to maximize revenue generation. Removing these lands from Federal oversight results in the loss of a variety of critical protections, including the Weeks Act prohibition on strip mining and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process.

The Sierra Club North Star Chapter and its 15,000 members across the state support the Federal government’s purchase of all of the State's school trust lands in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), rather than exchanging trust lands for protected National Forest land. A federal purchase of Trust Lands in the BWCAW would more quickly accomplish the goal of generating revenue for the school trust, avoid negative impacts on the Superior National Forest or surrounding natural areas, and provide revenue without any of the risk associated with reliance on international markets for timber and speculative mining ventures.

Already, 40 environmental organizations from Minnesota and the region have stated their opposition to any federal legislation that would expedite the Federal land transfer of approximately 86,000 acres of state lands in the BWCAW, bypassing the process required by the National Environmental Policy Act, for a yet-to-be-determined amount of National Forest land outside the wilderness boundary.

SIERRA CLUB AND NAACP JOIN FORCES FOR 3RD ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

“LIFE ON A CHANGING PLANET: What it means for our community & how we plan for a brighter future”

MINNEAPOLIS – Saturday, the Sierra Club North Star Chapter and Minneapolis NAACP will celebrate Earth Day by highlighting the diverse efforts happening in Minneapolis to reduce unhealthy air pollution and address climate disruption by improving local communities and supporting the EPA’s proposed first-ever national limits on carbon pollution.

Youth will perform and share the songs and videos they’ve created to tell their stories of how their families are affected by pollution—from severe asthma to the detrimental results of mercury poisoning. Community partners will speak on a panel about investing in solutions such as community gardens while standing up to neighboring polluters like Northern Metals. NAACP’s national Climate Justice Director Jacqui Patterson, as keynote, will address EPA’s proposed new source performance standards – the nation’s first limits on carbon pollution from coal plants. Representative Keith Ellison, Minnesota’s own champion for environmental justice and community health, will also attend. 

WHEN: SATURDAY, APRIL 21 FROM 10 AM-3PM
WHERE: MINNEAPOLIS URBAN LEAGUE 2100 PLYMOUTH AVENUE NORTH, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55411 
WHAT:  10:30 am Youth Performance: High School of Recording Arts Green Team will perform songs live
11:00 am Keynote: Jacqui Patterson, NAACP’s Climate Justice Director
12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Community Panel: Louis Alemayhu – Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota (EJAM) officer; Board member, North American Water Office; Writer, educator, activist, poet, father, grandfather of African and Native American heritage and Sam Grant – Principal, Ujima Consulting and Movement Center for Deep Democracy; Founder and consultant with Full Circle Community Institute and Afro Eco
2:00pm Community Networking

Presenters are available in advance of the event for interviews.

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 For Immediate Release:  Wednesday April 4, 2012 

SIERRA CLUB RESPONDS TO HOUSE PASSAGE OF OMNIBUS ENVIRONMENT POLICY BILL

April 4, 2012 - Today the Legislature took a step backwards for our environment in Minnesota, choosing to pass a bill which will remove critical wetlands protections, public oversight mechanisms and safeguards for public health. The passage of HF2164, the omnibus environment policy bill, was met with disappointment by members of the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. “It’s unfortunate that actually protecting the environment seems to be an afterthought when this Legislature passes ‘environment’ bills,” said State Director Margaret Levin, “House File 2164 does a lot to help out corporate lobbyists, but doesn’t do nearly enough for our lakes, rivers and public lands.”

Some of the damaging provisions included in HF2164 include:

• Eliminating Minnesota Executive Council oversight of nonferrous mineral leasing, a key provision that helps protect citizens and property owners from industry and government overreach
• Granting enormous new exemptions to allow for easier destruction of Minnesota’s critical wetlands, which are important for a range of ecosystem services, such as protecting water quality, mitigating flood risk, and providing habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife
• Preventing state agencies from adopting ANY water quality standard that is more protective than minimum Federal standards.  In many cases there are no equivalent Federal standards
• Gutting the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizens Board, a key resource for citizens and other parties affected by agency decisions

“There are so many simple things we could be doing to improve the health of our environment,” said Levin.  “We hope that future Legislatures will take more seriously the charge of protecting water quality, wildlife habitat and public health.”

The Sierra Club calls on legislators and Governor Dayton to oppose this bill, which would reverse decades of progress on water quality and habitat protection.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2012

On Thursday the U.S. House passed a bill to exempt the currently proposed, massive St. Croix Crossing project from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 

“This bill sets a dangerous precedent for over 200 Wild and Scenic Rivers across the nation – to push through the most expensive bridge in state history,” said Margaret Levin, State Director of the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. "It is disappointing that Representative Bachmann, a self-proclaimed fiscal hawk, would continue to push for such a fiscally irresponsible bridge in the face of current budgetary realities." 

The federal money for the project will come out of Minnesota’s share of highway funds. Already, Mn/DOT projects a $270 million annual repair and maintenance shortfall in coming years. The shortfall is projected at $50 billion for the next 20 years. 

“The St. Croix was designated one of the eight original National Scenic Riverways because it is a natural treasure. It is possible and necessary to balance development pressures with preserving the high quality features that draw residents to the St. Croix Valley, and continue to protect one of the country’s most endangered rivers,” said Carol Hardin, Chair of the St. Croix Valley Sierra Club. “A new crossing that is less intrusive would provide local jobs and save taxpayer dollars to repair Minnesota’s 1,100 bridges in need of repair.”

In November 2011, an independent study showed that the smaller design supported by the Sensible Stillwater Bridge coalition would cost about $394 million — 57 percent of the price tag of the freeway-style bridge specifically exempted from review in the current legislation.

The Sierra Club North Star Chapter will continue to work for a smaller Stillwater Bridge replacement that does not violate the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, and which can be constructed at a cost far less than $690 million.

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For immediate release: February 23, 2012

Federal transportation bills threaten transit
and safer access for bicycling, and walking

House bill also undermines road and bridge repair
If enacted, Minnesotans will have fewer transportation options

Saint Paul, MN (February 23, 2012)—Next week, action will resume on new federal transportation bills in the House and Senate. Normally bipartisan efforts, the pending bills are raising alarm bells because they remove dedicated funding for transit, bicycling, and walking. Provisions in the House bill also undermine road and bridge repair  

The House bill, HR7, eliminates dedicated funding for transit established in the 1980s during the Reagan Administration. The House and Senate bills both cut dedicated funding for bicycling and pedestrian projects and for the Safe Routes to Schools program.

“Dedicated federal funding for transit, bicycling, and walking is imperative, so that motorists—and all Minnesotans—have options that are more affordable and reduce the growing level of congestion on already-busy roads. Transportation agencies confirm that building more and wider roads won’t solve the congestion problem. Transportation options are essential to make the most efficient use of our transportation investments. Having dedicated funds is the best way to achieve this goal” said Barb Thoman, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities.

A bus carrying 40 passengers versus 40 cars on the road. Light Rail, such as the Hiawatha LRT, is even more efficient, carrying 450 passengers at capacity. Fifty percent of riders of the Hiawatha LRT say they would otherwise be driving.

While the House bill has run into stiff opposition, there is pressure on Congress to enact something before the current extension of the law expires on March 31. Leaders of both parties have expressed interest in getting a transportation bill done because of the impact on infrastructure and jobs. Advocates from a variety of perspectives want to make sure that any deal-making doesn’t leave transit users, bicyclists, pedestrians, and local public works departments out in the cold.

“At a time when demand for transit service is increasing, especially in communities of color where the economic downturn is felt most severely, it makes no sense that members of Congress would offer plans that cut dedicated funding,” said Russ Adams, executive director of the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability.

According to the Metropolitan Council, transit ridership in the Twin Cities region is at its highest level in 30 years, with more than 90 million trips taken in 2011. Overall, Minnesota saw more than 100 million transit trips in 2010, according to MnDOT.

The House bill’s elimination of dedicated funding for transit would throw Metro Transit and dozens of other Minnesota transit providers into doubt about how to plan for future service, making it impossible to know if funds will be there to replace worn-out buses or build new park and ride facilities. In addition, under the House bill, Minnesota would lose $313 million for highways over the next five years.

“People all across Minnesota, from rural areas to suburban areas, rely on transit systems that need the stable, dedicated funding from the federal gas tax that has been coming back to our state for the last 30 years,” said Tony Kellen, president of the Minnesota Public Transit Association. “The House proposal would threaten transit service at a time when more Minnesotans are seeking additional transit service to get to work and live their lives. Minnesota taxpayers can’t afford this change in federal transit funding,” he added.

Transportation is the second largest household expense after housing itself, and makes up an even larger share of the budget in lower-income households. The average annual cost of owning and operating a car is $8,000, according to the American Automobile Association.

“Many people who are unemployed or underemployed rely on the transit system as a primary mode to access job opportunities,” said Grant Stevensen, pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and president of ISAIAH. “The Federal bill needs to support the viability of transit systems. Owning a car should not be a job qualification.”

The House bill has raised additional reasons for objection. It cuts the bridge repair program and funding that focuses on traffic mitigation and air quality. The bill also would open protected areas, including the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, to drilling for oil and natural gas. In Minnesota, the House cuts to the bridge program would mean that only bridges on the national highway system would receive federal funds. The backlog of repair for Minnesota’s bridges would fall on state, county, and local funding sources.

“It’s Ponzi-scheme math to expect that revenues from new drilling could solve the transportation funding deficit or significantly reduce gas prices,” said Ethan Fawley, transportation policy director at Fresh Energy. “The House bill makes us more dependent than ever on Big Oil at a time when American families want real alternatives to rising gas prices.”

The House bill has drawn widespread opposition, including from Republican legislators. Representative Erik Paulsen, (R-MN, 3^rd district) voted against the bill in committee. Another GOP representative, New York’s Peter King, said via his spokesperson that he “has serious concerns about this legislation and the impact it will have on mass transit.” Transportation for America, a national coalition advocating for a new transportation bill, has listed the top 10 objections to the House bill on their web site: www.t4america.org.

Bicycling and walking also under siege

Before 1990, it was illegal to spend any federal transportation funds on sidewalks or bike paths, even when highway projects tore out existing infrastructure for safe walking and bicycling. Since then, the federal program called Transportation Enhancements has dedicated about 1% of federal transportation funds to projects for pedestrians and bicyclists. Six years ago, the federal government adopted a modest program called Safe Routes to School to help improve bike and pedestrian safety and accessibility.

“Across the state of Minnesota, bicycling is not only for recreation or local transportation, but is also an economic driver. Communities everywhere are redefining themselves around bicycling and walking options to ensure that they remain competitive. To cut dedicated funding is a bad economic decision,” said Dorian Grilley, executive director of the Bike Alliance of Minnesota.

Nearly half of all the trips people make each day are three miles or less, and more people are bicycling or walking for these shorter trips. In the Twin Cities, bicycling increased by 52% and walking by 18% from 2007-2011.

Annual bicycle trips on the Lake Street Bridge increased by 218,000 between 2007-2010. 44% of the cyclists surveyed said they would have otherwise been driving, meaning that an estimated 96,000 trips that were made by car in 2007 were by bike in 2010. Source: Bike Walk Twin Cities

“Just as 50% of the 30,000 daily riders of the Hiawatha LRT line say they would otherwise be driving, more bicycling and walking means less driving overall,” said Thoman. “These modes deserve secure funding because they contribute to making the region affordable and vibrant.”

The Senate bill, sponsored by Senators Boxer (D-CA) and Inhofe (R-OK), includes health-promoting measures as well as complete streets, which would ensure that road projects consider the needs of everyone—drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and people with disabilities.

But, the Senate bill has also sparked amendments to restore dedicated funding for bicycling and pedestrian projects. Senator Amy Klobuchar has put forward an amendment to restore funding for bike trails. A broader amendment from Senators Cochran and Cardin would restore bike/pedestrian funding more broadly, covering all kinds of enhancements and the Safe Routes to Schools program.

"The Senate bill, with amendments to restore funding for bicycling and pedestrian options, would be the better outcome for Minnesotans," said Thoman. "The Senate bill has bipartisan support and is a forward-looking bill, focused on road and bridge repair and increasing affordable options for all users of our transportation system."

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(download)

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Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, Bike Alliance of Minnesota, Envision Minnesota, Fresh Energy, Isaiah, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Minnesota Public Transit Association, Sierra Club, and Transit for Livable Communities

Statement by Carol Hardin, Chair of the Sierra Club St. Croix Valley Group in response to American Strategies, Inc. Survey

For Immediate Release – January 30, 2012

The St. Croix was designated one of the eight original National Scenic Riverways because it is a natural treasure. It is possible and necessary to balance development pressures with preserving the high quality features that draw residents to the St. Croix Valley, and continue to protect one of the country’s most endangered rivers.

“In the survey released today, it is no surprise that most respondents support the currently proposed project -- they are being given a false choice between a costly mega bridge that is neither fiscally or environmentally responsible, and no action. Meanwhile, residents in communities across the state with urgent road and bridge repairs have not had a voice.

"The Sierra Club continues to support the construction of a lower, less-intrusive bridge which will meet residents’ needs at a fraction of the cost of the four-lane mega bridge. Survey respondents expect a new bridge to ease congestion, reduce travel times and improve safety. The proposed alternative bridge would address those issues, but at a lower cost to taxpayers across the state.

“We continue to work for a less intrusive and costly solution that is responsive to residents’ needs and fiscal realities while honoring the river’s protected status.”

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For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 24, 2012

SIERRA CLUB RESPONDS TO SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO WEAKEN RIVER PROTECTIONS, BUILD MOST EXPENSIVE BRIDGE IN STATE HISTORY

On Monday night, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to exempt the currently proposed, massive St. Croix Crossing project from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. “This bill would gut the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act – to push through a massive and costly new bridge,” said Jim Rickard, Sierra Club St. Croix Valley group spokesperson. “The Sierra Club supports a new crossing that is less intrusive to the river, and will meet residents’ needs, provide local jobs, and save taxpayer dollars to be spent for other transportation priorities.”

In November, an independent study showed that the smaller design supported by the Sensible Stillwater Bridge coalition would cost about $394 million — 57 percent of the price tag of the freeway-style bridge specifically exempted from review in the current legislation.

Minnesota already has more than 1,100 structurally deficient bridges across the state, but Mn/DOT is already projecting a $270 million annual repair and maintenance shortfall in coming years.

“We urge officials to reconsider the cost and scale of the current $690 million proposed design, which if built, would break the record for the most expensive bridge in Minnesota,” said Margaret Levin, State Director of the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. “Instead, we call for a balanced and reasonable solution that will better protect the river and communities statewide.”

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Release Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Saint Paul (Jan. 17, 2012) – Members of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP) today offered guiding principles to ensure that large farm operators do their share to help clean up Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and streams under a new state and federal funded proposal announced today by Governor Mark Dayton, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Under a voluntary joint federal-state proposal, farm operators would be allowed to adopt practices designed to prevent pollution from running off their farmland and avoid being required to meet future state and federal water quality standards as they are developed to ensure that farm runoff will not further pollute Minnesota’s waters.

Since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, the agricultural sector has been exempt from programs that require measurable and enforceable reductions in water pollution. In Minnesota, conservation and environmental groups have been working to ensure that large farm operators be held accountable – just as cities and other businesses are – to prevent and clean up pollution from their operations.

“We want to protect Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and streams,” said Trevor Russell of the Friends of the Mississippi River. “Just last week we learned that 500 more waters in our state have been identified as not meeting basic water quality standards set by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Right now, 40 percent of our lakes, rivers and streams that have been tested are too polluted for fishing or swimming.”

“As it stands now, this proposal is very vague. It does not provide the certainty that we need that our waters will become clean and healthy,” said Steve Morse, executive director of MEP. “There are no assurances that the practices farm operators adopt, when added together, will get the results Minnesotans expect. Once the technical and stakeholders committees are appointed, we urge them to establish strong oversight so that Minnesotans who drink the water that comes from our rivers and eat the fish from our lakes will be assured that everyone – including agriculture – does their share to protect our water.”

The Minnesota Environmental Partnership and its member groups believe that any agricultural water pollution clean-up program must:

• Ensure water quality will meet standards. Any voluntary agricultural water quality certification plan must effectively reduce pollution to safe levels in affected lakes, rivers and streams and be evaluated by an independent examination team.

• Be targeted to the greatest needs. Funding for pollution reduction projects should be focused on the most effective projects to reduce water pollution.

• Ensure accountability from farm operators. There must be mechanisms in place to ensure an entire farming operation is included in an evaluation and that farm management plans are reviewed on a periodic basis to ensure accountability. Operations not currently in compliance with existing law must not be eligible to participate.

• Be consistent with existing pollution reduction programs and laws. Currently factories and cities implementing water quality improvement plans must meet safe water quality standards through five-year agreements. Any voluntary certification for large farm operators should follow the same time frame.

Minnesota Environmental Partnership is a statewide coalition of 79 nonprofit conservation and environmental organizations. Formed in 1998, MEP works with its member organizations to protect and restore Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, streams, forests, wildlife habitat and natural areas.

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 On Thursday, December 22nd, the Sierra Club North Star Chapter released the report Vulnerability or Strength: How Minnesota Can Move Beyond Oil, documenting the true cost of Minnesota’s oil addiction, and solutions to solve the energy crisis in our state. The report was released at the Saint Paul home of Michael and Jamie Mason, who along with their three children have reduced their consumption of oil and saved their family money by trying to incorporate bicycling, walking, and public transportation into their holiday shopping and their daily routine.

“We shield ourselves from spending too much on gas by limiting our trips and combining trips we take by car,” said Michael. “Biking has made it very easy for my family to budget for gassing up our vehicle. When I started biking and riding the bus to work, we donated our second vehicle to Disabled American Veterans and cut down that expense substantially.”

In Minnesota, 40% of trips taken by car are within two miles of the home, a fact that helps the Masons substantially reduce their oil consumption. “For many shorter trips in the area, we bike or walk to such things as the State Fair, Como Zoo and Conservatory and even to drop off our son at pre-school,” said Michael.

The financial impact of all that extra driving adds up for Minnesota - importing foreign oil results in billions of dollars lost from Minnesota's economy every year. In the past decade, Minnesotans have spent an average of $10 billion annually on oil. “Every drop of oil we use is imported, most of which - over 80% - is the dirtiest and most destructive oil on Earth, mined from tar sands in Canada,” said Joshua Houdek, Land Use and Transportation Program Manager for the Sierra Club North Star Chapter.  “Our dependence on foreign oil shackles us to the whims of the global market, and leaves Minnesotans vulnerable to fluctuations in international prices.

Vulnerability or Strength: How Minnesota Can Move Beyond Oil describes many of the easy, common-sense solutions we can take right now to start weaning our state off of its reliance on this volatile and finite power source. From better fuel efficiency standards for cars to constructing more livable, walkable communities – the solutions can help us create good jobs, and strengthen our local economy.

The full text of the report is available online at http://northstar.sierraclub.org/oilreport.

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