About The Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment
The Minnesota you love is in trouble.
Our Minnesota can't wait. We're losing more of the state we love every day. Safeguarding the Minnesota you love for future generations will require a substantial investment over the next 25 years. The good news is, we CAN do this.
This amendment is about PROTECTING OUR WATERS:
We need clean water for drinking, fishing, swimming, for the benefit of ourselves, our children and future generations. This initiative will protect our drinking water and provide funding for clean-up of our rivers, lakes and streams. Nothing is more important than having clean water to drink. We also need healthy water sources for swimming and fishing, and for wildlife habitat.
All is not well in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." Forty percent of the waters we have tested are polluted, and most of our lakes and streams have not even been tested. Funding for water, parks, and wildlife habitat remains near historic lows, and we are losing access for swimming, fishing, and wildlife watching. We have to act now, with this amendment, to protect our state's many water sources----for our own health, and for that of our habitat and wildlife, before they are lost forever.
This amendment is about protecting our LAND AND NATURAL AREAS:
This initiative will offer tremendous help to protect natural areas, including our many forests, parks and trails that both Minnesotans and our tourists enjoy so much. There is tremendous growth in Minnesota: over 1 million acres of wooded lands, natural areas and farmland will be lost over the next 25 years, as Minnesota continues growing faster than any other state in the Midwest. Growth can be good, but we want to make sure that while we grow, we are protecting and preserving our natural areas for recreation, which is so much a part of why we love it here. Protecting our lands for game habitat, wildlife, fishing, hunting, and hiking is critical at this time and passing this amendment now is the right thing to do for our state's future. The amendment will also help to fight global warming by protecting forest lands in Minnesota.
This amendment is about PRESERVING OUR WAY OF LIFE:
Minnesota has a long and proud tradition and history of arts and culture. Arts and cultural education are critical not only to our children's future but also to our state's economic well-being. Like our natural resources, our states cultural resources are an important part of our tourism industry and our great Minnesota quality of life.
This amendment is about FUTURE GENERATIONS:
This amendment is about future generations, and increasing our investment in the future of Minnesota. Minnesotans understand that core values are well worth protecting in our Constitution, especially when future generations rely on our actions today. Acting now to ensure that we properly protect our water, parks, wildlife, and arts and cultural resources for our children and grandchildren is an investment well worth making.
Ballot Language
The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment will appear this way on your 2008 election ballot.
Clean Water, Wildlife, Cultural Heritage, and Natural Areas
Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to dedicate funding to protect our drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore our wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve our arts and cultural heritage; to support our parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore our lakes, rivers, steams, and groundwater by increasing the sales and use tax rate beginning July 1, 2009, by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales until the year 2034?
Click here to read the bill language.
