On August 9th, we have a clear choice between Alicia Kozlowski, a clean water and community-health champion, and Arik Forsman who sides with multinational corporations and their harmful projects from Enbridge’s Line 3 to PolyMet. Be a voter this primary election and support fierce environmental advocates like Alicia.
Alicia Kozlowski will be the representative that the residents of Duluth deserve. She’ll fight for clean water, clean air and real action on the climate crisis. As our State Representative, Alicia Kozlowski will fight for our values and vision for a just, sustainable future at the Capitol.
Read more about Alicia and her positions here.
Arik Forsman Sides with Polluters
The contrast between Alicia and Arik is clear.
While Alicia has built a reputation as a leader for community health, social justice and the environment, Arik has consistently demonstrated his support for big, multinational corporations and their irresponsible polluting projects, including:
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PolyMet’s proposed toxic copper-sulfide mining project which the EPA confirms threatens the water supply of the City of Duluth, the Lake Superior watershed, the whole St Louis River estuary and downstream communities. Sulfide mining has never safely been done in a water rich environment like ours.
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Enbridge’s Line 3, a tar sands pipeline which transports some of the most expensive and polluting fossil fuels on earth, violates treaty rights, threatens wild rice beds, and will cost us billions in social costs related to climate change. Enbridge has consistently violated state regulations. While building Line 3 they illegally breached underground water aquifers 3 times, impacting water quality in the Fond du Lac Band’s reservation boundaries and were fined more than $3 million.
These special interests, who make money from fossil fuel pipelines and dangerous mining practices, want representation at the State Capitol.
To choose a new State Representative, voters in the August 9 primary should follow the money…
Arik’s Campaign Cash: PolyMet, Pipelines & other Polluters
Who funds Arik Forsman’s campaign?
Arik Forsman has taken large campaign contributions from both current and retired Minnesota Power/Allete executives, board members or their family members as well as the Chief Financial Officer of PolyMet and a member of their board of directors. This includes Al Hodnick, the former longtime CEO and chair of the board of Allete, who now currently sits on the board of directors for Polymet. The separately disclosed portion of his campaign contributions from PACs and Lobbyists is dominated by groups that make money from copper-sulfide mining and pipeline interests.
In contrast, 96% of Alicia's funders are individuals, unaffiliated with any PAC or corporate interest.
A Record Of Representing Polluters Interests
The polluting interests who’ve donated to Arik Forsman are not wrong to invest in him. He’s been helping them for years
Before being elected to the City Council, Forsman helped found Better in Our BackYard, a group working with Mining Minnesota, to promote copper/nickel sulfide mining that threatens both the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior. Forsman pushed this specific mining practice despite the industry’s consistent record of failure to protect water as they promised. Forsman regularly dismissed those raising concerns about sulfide mining as being “anti-industry.” Forsman specifically dismissed community concerns about the well-documented effects of mercury poisoning on children’s brain development. This dismissal of science is dangerous to our health and a thriving future.
Forsman’s Better in Our BackYard group collaborated with both PolyMet and Enbridge, the owners of the Line 3 pipeline, to promote both projects. Forsman personally advocated for mining legislation authored by some of the most consistent anti-environment representatives in congress: Tom Emmer and Jason Lewis from Minnesota and Paul Gosar of Arizona.
The choice is clear
Alicia Kozlowski is a demonstrated clean water and community health champion – endorsed by the Sierra Club, Take Action, Friends of the Boundary Waters Action Network, MN 350 Action, Duluth for Clean Water, Clean Water Action and more.
Arik Forsman is backed by corporate interests, has consistently sided with them and dismissed community concerns about the health effects of pollution.
Be a voter and make a difference for Duluth – the primary election is August 9.
This is an independent expenditure prepared and paid for by North Star Chapter Sierra Club PAC, 2300 Myrtle Avenue Suite 260, St. Paul MN 55114, Friends of the Boundary Waters Action Network, 2550 University Ave, Saint Paul MN 55114, TakeAction Minnesota, 705 Raymond Ave #100, St. Paul, MN 55114. It is not coordinated with or approved by any candidate nor is any candidate responsible for it.