Back in April, we posted While House works on LCCMR bill, Senate Enviro chair says nope, save funds for deficit next year and Minnesota Environmental Partnership reacts to MN Senate's intent to not act on Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund appropriation.
We're a bit late with the update, but on Monday, Minnesota Public Radio's Kristi Marohn explored the consequences of the impasse in Dispute over environmental fund leaves projects on wolves, weeds and mussels in limbo:
For the past several years, University of Minnesota researchers have studied wolves in Voyageurs National Park to learn how they spend their summers.
They’ve uncovered some fascinating details. Wolves are often thought of as bloodthirsty carnivores that hunt large mammals. But in the summers, the researchers tracked them catching freshwater fish — and even feasting on wild blueberries.
The research requires funding for staff salaries and equipment. The collars fitted with a GPS device that researchers use to track the wolves cost more than $2,000 each, said Joseph Bump, associate professor in the university’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology.
To cover those costs, the Voyageurs Wolf Project received $293,000 from the state’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund in 2018. This year, researchers had hoped for another $575,000 from the fund to launch the project’s second phase.
But that plan is now uncertain. The project is one of dozens benefiting Minnesota’s natural resources that are now in limbo because of a political dispute at the state Legislature. At the center of the stalemate is a years-old disagreement among state lawmakers over whether the trust fund should be used to pay for wastewater treatment projects.
Read the whole article at Minnesota Public Radio. On Wednesday, the Associated Press added to the feed with Minnesota environmental projects in limbo over funds dispute via the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Related posts
- Broad coalition of conservation & environmental groups ask LCCMR not to raid trust funds (2018)
- Lawsuit over environmental trust fund may have implications for Legacy Amendment money (MinnPost, 2018)
- A tale of two bills: a story of the next environmental trust fund raid revolution? (2019)
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