photo credit: Quentin Kendall
Peter Wagenius, Legislative & Political Director
As COVID-19 continues to damage our public health and our economy, Minnesotans look to the State Legislature for leadership in this multi-layered crisis. No matter the color or your skin, no matter whether you are from the metro area or Greater Minnesota, we would all be better off if our State Legislature would take action to protect public health and put people to work building a new, green economy.
But powerful interest groups like the Chamber of Commerce -- which includes big polluters such as the Koch Brothers’ Flint Hills Refinery and corporations with claims to be ‘responsible’ like Target -- have other priorities. It benefits them to denigrate science. It benefits them to trash the role of government to protect the public. Such actions make it easier for them to shield corporate polluters and to prevent businesses from having to pay their fair share of taxes.
As long as those interest groups control the Senate Republican Majority, Minnesotans won’t get real action on public health, on climate, or on growing jobs in a green economy. As the second special session wrapped up, House Republicans followed through on their threat to stop any bonding bill if Governor Walz continued to use his emergency powers to protect Minnesotans from the virus.
Fortunately, a new generation of leaders showed us last year that elections matter. The new legislators the Sierra Club endorsed in 2018 have prioritized environmental justice, our climate and our future. They passed big bills on clean energy, transit and clean air. It’s time to send in reinforcements. If we can hold the House and win the Senate, we can put legislation on the Governor’s desk that would build the just, sustainable future we need. A green wave in 2020 is possible if we build it together. Let’s send leaders to the State Capitol who share our values for a just, sustainable future.
The Sierra Club is proud to endorse candidates at all levels in Minnesota. Find our growing list of endorsed candidates here.
graphic credit: Mikaela Armstrong