Hello and welcome to Friday.
The U.S. Department of the Interior issued a 20-year mining moratorium Thursday on 225,000 acres of federal land near the Boundary Waters, dealing a further blow to the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely, Minn. and other potential mines for copper, nickel and precious metals within the watershed of the canoe wilderness area. MPR’s Dan Kraker reports the decision is the latest milestone in a long and contentious tug of war over mining near the popular wilderness area that has spanned more than six years and three presidential administrations. President Obama first proposed withdrawing federal land from future mineral exploration and leasing within the watershed of the Boundary Waters near the end of his second term in 2016. The Trump administration then stopped the environmental review of that proposal, before it was restarted under the Biden administration in 2021.
A massive public works package that would build and fix up ice arenas, water plants, fire stations, bridges and more will test the limits of DFL power at Minnesota’s Capitol. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports Gov. Tim Walz is asking the Legislature to approve $3.3 billion worth of construction projects, funded by a mix of borrowing through the sale of state bonds and cash from Minnesota’s massive budget surplus. To get anything near what he proposed, Walz would need bipartisan support. Walz announced the plan Thursday at the St. Paul Regional Water Services plant, where a $250 million renovation is underway with some state financing. As he moved around in a bright yellow safety vest and blue helmet, Walz marveled at the steps taken at the plant to ensure water that comes from the home tap is clear and clean. He crossed a catwalk to peer down on a 20-foot deep basin that clarifies millions of gallons a day. It dates to the 1930s. “The previous generations paid their taxes, built this so we could benefit,” Walz said. “We’re talking about building for future generations now.”
The state Senate is expected to vote later today on the bill that puts the right to abortion into state law. If you have questions about the Protect Reproductive Options or PRO Act, or about the big picture involving abortion in Minnesota, MPR’s Dana Ferguson and Michelle Wiley have answers.
The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a major energy bill Thursday night after a long debate. The bill requires that 100 percent of the electricity that utilities provide to Minnesota customers is generated by carbon-free sources by 2040. MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports the bill's DFL author, House Majority Leader Jamie Long of Minneapolis, said it will address climate change and make Minnesota a leader on clean energy. "And we know that this is going to be good news for Minnesotans,” Long said. "It's going to save Minnesotans money, because right now wind is the cheapest energy you can buy. And solar will be cheaper than wind within a few years. We know also that this is going to create very good jobs for Minnesotans." Republicans said the bill would lead to higher electricity costs, reliability issues and possibly power blackouts. "This blackout bill is going to make energy unreliable, unsafe and even dangerous,” said Republican Minority Leader Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring. “Energy needs to be safe. We need it in Minnesota to be reliable, and this is neither." A companion bill is moving through the Senate. Gov. Tim Walz supports the measure.
The Minnesota Senate Thursday passed a bill that bans discrimination against a person based on their natural hair texture and hair style. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports the bill passed by a vote of 45-19 and now goes to the governor’s desk for his signature. The bill’s supporters brought the proposal in response to reports that Black Minnesotans, particularly women, had experienced discrimination in the workplace and in school for styling their hair in braids, twists or locks, or for their natural hair texture. They said the Minnesota Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, but the definition of race does not yet encompass hair under its definition. The change would more explicitly prohibit hair discrimination when it comes to housing, employment or other areas. “What we have seen (is) unfair scrutiny and discrimination against women and men inherent to culture. And this bill is about protecting a person's decision, free from discrimination, to wear their natural hair in the workplace and in school,” the bill’s author, Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, said. “We recognize that any form of discrimination hurts an individual and we want all individuals to be able to go to work and feel included and welcomed in the marketplace.”
The Senate also passed a bill Thursday making June 19, known as Juneteenth, a state holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the day that slavery was outlawed in Texas June 19, 1865. It has been celebrated by Black Americans for decades because it marks the day that the final enslaved African Americans learned that they were free. And it became a federal holiday in 2021. “Today our state and nation should celebrate Junettenth, a chance to celebrate human freedom, reflect on the previous and ongoing effect of slavery and rededicate ourselves to rooting out the systemic racism that plagues our society as we strive to deliver the promise of America to every American,” Champion said. That bill passed the Senate on a vote of 57-8 and moves next to the House of Representatives for a vote.
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