Minnesota Senate

April 30, 2015

Senator Tom Bakk

Senator Richard Cohen

Dear Senator Bakk and Senator Cohen:

We are writing to express our dismay over the amendments that were adopted on the
Senate Floor to S.F. 2101 on April 22, Earth Day, and ask for your leadership to address
these concerns. Many of us regret voting for the senate bill with the adoption of the bad
floor amendments.
Many of the amendments adopted on the floor, and several of the policy provisions in the
bill, were not heard or considered in any policy committee. These amendments represent
major policy shifts for the state and were adopted without public participation or the
opportunity for senate members to understand the sweeping impact of these measures.
Some amendments, such as the Energy Intensive, Trade-Exposed (EITE) industry electric
rates provision, do not represent the policy which actually passed the Environment and
Energy Policy Committeerather it is language which has not been vetted but has
statewide impact and significant consumer protection issues.
In addition to our concerns about process, there are provisions in the bill that are simply
bad for Minnesota. At a time when we are regularly seeing reports of community water
supplies across the state not being safe to drink, the Senate joined the House in voting to
undermine the authority of our state agencies to implement our existing clean water
standards.
These standards, to protect and restore the quality of our lakes, rivers and streams, were
developed over ten years through a painstaking process of scientific research, peer review
and public outreach. An attack on these standards and our agencies ability to implement
them is an attack on the very mission of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and
other agencies charged with protecting the environment and public health. Furthermore, it
denigrates the hard work and professionalism of our public servants by politicizing what
should remain a scientific process.
The Senate has done an excellent job developing and passing budget bills that separate
volatile policy provisions from the budget process, with this one glaring exception. This
bill has become highly politicized in the process. It is out of sync with the voters of the
state and is out of step with core Minnesota values to protect our great outdoors.

We ask that you use your power to remove these provisions from the Senate bill. Both the
House environment and natural resources omnibus budget and House energy omnibus
budget bills have been characterized as some of the worst policy propagated on these
topics. One expert characterizing the House energy bill as eviscerating thirty years of
progressive energy policy.
While our concerns about SF2101 are strong, they pale in comparison to the deeply
destructive environment and energy policy provisions contained in the House companion
bills. For your convenience, we have enclosed lists of troubling environment and energy
provisions contained within the House budget legislation.
Many members of our caucus reluctantly supported the budget bill despite strong
concerns about the harmful environment and energy policy contained in it. We ask you
find a path forward that recognizes that this legislation puts many members of our caucus
in an unfair position of either rejecting the budget, or voting for unreasonable policies.
We ask you to follow through on your commitment to keep these controversial provisions
out of the budget debate. Holding the state budget hostage to these harsh attacks on
Minnesotas environment is not acceptable.
Sincerely,

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Senator Sandy Pappas

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Senator Katie Sieben

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Senator Melisa Franzen

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Senator Jim Carlson

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Senator Scott Dibble

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Senator Susan Kent

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Senator Chris Eaton

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Senator Greg Clausen

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Senator Bev Scalze

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Senator Patricia Torres Ray

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Senator Ron Latz

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Senator Kevin Dahle

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Senator Barb Goodwin
cc:

Governor Mark Dayton

Senator David Tomassoni
Molly Pederson