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State Representative Rick Hansen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-6828
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
Column/LTE
DUCKS CAN'T VOTE
Our wetlands are in real danger – and with them, Minnesota's duck and waterfowl population. Over 80,000 acres of wetlands are destroyed in this country every year. Here in Minnesota, we made legislative changes this year to improve wetlands protection. However, a lack of funding for wetland conservation efforts has resulted in a dire situation for Minnesota wetlands statewide – particularly in the western and southern portion of the state where 90 percent of original wetlands have already been lost.
As elected stewards of Minnesota's precious natural resources, we have a responsibility to protect wildlife habitat across the state for both environmental and economic reasons. It is imperative that we take the opportunity to enact effective conservation policies to ensure the health and prosperity of our unique and valuable natural resources – including our endangered Minnesota wetlands.
We in the Minnesota Legislature did just that this session. To address the need for reversing this damaging trend and restoring natural habitat for native Minnesota species, we asked for $15 million to match federal funds. Of this, $8 million in essential funding to restore our wetlands was included in the bonding bill this session.
Despite the Governor's previously stated commitment to provide funding for wetlands, and restore habitat for native wildlife, Pawlenty vetoed the bonding bill in its entirety – including this essential funding for Minnesota wetlands.
As a result, our state will lose over $10 million of key federal matching funds for wetland protection from the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) – a program that has restored over 2 million acres of wetlands nationwide.
Funding for the federal WRP program, that has already restored countless acres of wetlands in Minnesota, will now run out on December 31 of this year. Lacking this necessary funding will seriously impair our state's ability to restore our wetlands, promote natural habitat for native wildlife, and protect our water quality throughout our state.
By vetoing this legislation, Governor Pawlenty has single-handedly thrown away over $10 million in essential conservation funding from the federal government. This money will now likely go to another state with just as real needs – a state with a Governor who recognized the need to make a serious investment in wetland protection, and followed through on that commitment.
Governor Pawlenty needs to be held accountable for this irresponsible action. Ducks may not have had a voice to raise or a vote to cast in this situation, but we did – and so did our fellow legislators on a bipartisan basis. And we voted for a responsible plan to secure necessary funding for our wetlands. Now we have only the Governor to thank for the consequences.
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