2020 December Newsletter | DFL Environmental Caucus

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DFL Environmental Caucus Newsletter

In this November edition of the DFL Environmental Caucus Newsletter:

1.Introduction from the DFLEC Secretary, Brian Swancutt
2. An update from our DFL Environmental Caucus Chair, Veda Kanitz
3. East Phillips Neighborhood Institute Update, Molly MacGregor, Outreach Officer
4. Legislative Action Committee Update – Greg Laden, Chair
5. Membership Survey from Legislative and Communications Committees
6. Currently in the News

1. Introduction from the DFLEC Secretary

Hello DFL Environmental Caucus members,

I am very excited to be sharing with you today the DFLEC Newsletter. We hope that this will assist members in understanding and finding ways to help the caucus achieve its mission. These newsletters will be coming to you all every second Monday of the month.

This newsletter contains updates from our Executive Board officers, some of our active committees, and some photos that you all have sent to us over the course of this month. The newsletter will almost always contain these things. For the next edition, we are looking for member contributions. We’re interested in what’s going on environmental policy/action-wise in your part of Minnesota? If you would like to write something up and be featured in the January newsletter, please have it submitted to brianswancutt7799@gmail.com no later than January 15th. Not all submissions may be featured. I look forward to reading what you have to say!

Onwards together,

Brian Swancutt
DFLEC Secretary
(I am the still new-ish DFLEC Secretary who was elected at the annual meeting this past summer. In addition to the secretarial duties of the DFLEC I am responsible for this newsletter. I am also a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato studying social work. I also am Secretary for Stonewall DFL and am involved in a number of other organizations across the state, so I’m sure I will see some of you around! )

Marten in Two Harbors, Dean Paron

Thanks to Dean Paron for the submission of the photo above, which is entitled “Marten in Two Harbors.”

2. An update from our chair, Veda Kanitz

The state of the caucus is strong! In this first edition of our caucus newsletter, I’d like to report on some of our key accomplishments to date.

Our caucus got its charter in May 2015 after a year of work by a small core group of us who hammered out that first constitution. We knew, to be successful, the caucus needed to address a wide range of issues, to attract representation from all over the state, and to grow in numbers, to make our voice strong within both the DFL and in the environmental community. Our numbers have steadily grown over the years, with current membership at well over 1000 and over 100 members in good standing, meaning they have attended a meeting in the last 12 months. Our membership director, Barb Crow does a wonderful job keeping these numbers updated for us.

We toyed with the idea of forming issue sub caucuses but in the end, decided we needed one united voice. Under the leadership of Karl Forsberg, former Outreach Director, we did outreach at fairs, Open Street events, and many other venues. We helped organize multi-caucus events such as a governor candidate forum and a breakfast meeting at the 2018 State convention. We hosted issue forums on divestment, copper-nickel sulfide mining, climate change, strategic messaging, and regenerative farming. We joined forces with MN350, MCEA, MEP, Sierra Club, and many others in peaceful demonstrations, and legislative days of action. The caucus was the 2017 recipient of the Leadership in Diversity Award from the DFL Outreach and Inclusion Committee. Karl and our current Outreach Officer, Molly MacGregor continue to reach out to underrepresented communities most recently supporting the East Phillips Neighborhood Initiative. See Molly’s report for more information on this project. In June, we updated our constitution to more clearly state our focus on addressing racial justice and environmental justice in every aspect of our work as a caucus.

We have developed a robust process of endorsing candidates. We had 3 subcommittees working on endorsements for the 2020 election under the leadership of committee co-chairs John Wells and Hailey Finucane. Subcommittee chairs were: Matt Doll and Hailey Finucane, Steve Johnson and Cecily Harris, and Megan Bond and Rich Updegrove. This allowed us to reach more rural candidates from both CD1 and CD7 and 8. Committees collected written answers to questions on a range of issues, conducted personal interviews, and submitted recommendations for endorsement to the Executive Committee. The list of 64 endorsed candidates can be found on our web page linked here. All but one of our endorsed candidates went on to win their primary. Following endorsement, the work of the caucus shifted to our campaign committee. Under the leadership of Greg Laden, members were urged to volunteer and give financial support in key races. We also hosted several virtual candidate forums and boosted social media posts on their campaigns with the help of our Communications Director, Kristin Larsen.

The caucus has also done strong committee work developing platform resolutions recently under the leadership of Greg Laden and Kristin Larsen. The 2020 DFL Action Agenda includes several very important resolutions. Here are three we helped shape and promote.

Declare a climate emergency. Mandate 100% carbon-free electricity throughout Minnesota by 2030 and meet or exceed “net-zero” emissions by 2050. Transition to an equitable, economically-just, and clean energy economy that provides high-paying jobs in rural and urban areas while reducing racial, gender, and economic disparities.
Protect Minnesota aquifers and freshwater sources from pollution, commercialization, and export; upgrade our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.
Support a moratorium banning copper-nickel sulfide mining in Northeastern Minnesota’s watersheds, for the protection of some of America’s greatest treasures.

Our legislative committee, formerly under the leadership of director John Wells and currently led by Greg Laden, has also been active. We hosted our first caucus sponsored lobby day in 2019 and plan on making it an annual event when it is safe to return to the capital. Members also made phone calls, wrote emails, and signed petitions for several action alerts we sent out on a wide range of issues.

On October 1st, I received the Willard Munger Award for Distinguished Environmental Stewardship from the Minnesota DFL. I am grateful for the recognition on behalf of all of you, who have helped to make this caucus a success! We’ve learned a lot over the years, and know our work is far from complete. The 2020 legislative session must reverse the damage done on the federal level and move MN and our nation forward with bold action to address racial and environmental justice while taking critical steps for a rapid, equitable transition to a clean, renewable energy economy. We are stronger together! With your help, the caucus will continue to “Protect what we love,” for generations to come!

Veda Kanitz

Senate Resolution recognizing Veda Kanitz for Environmental Stewardship

Veda Kanitz was given the Munger Award for Distinguished Environmental Stewardship from the DFL in 2020 and has been recognized in a resolution for her unwavering dedication to environmental activism by the Minnesota Legislature, and Senator Greg Clausen. Congratulations, Veda!

3. East Phillips Neighborhood Institute Update by Molly MacGregor, Outreach Officer

We Support East Phillips Neighborhood Institute’s Plans for Green Development in Arsenic Triangle

In September, DFL Environmental Caucus urged Minneapolis city leaders to support the green development project recommended by the East Phillips neighborhood, designed to provide green energy, jobs and job training, low-income housing, and an organic food farm in a neighborhood that has faced countless problems and serious environmental degradation for decades.

The East Phillips Neighborhood Institute’s suit against the City of Minneapolis was heard October 26. Meanwhile, the City of Minneapolis is proceeding with its Hiawatha Campus Expansion. Environmental remediation work is completed at the former Roof Depot building on the Hiawatha Campus Expansion Project site in the East Phillips neighborhood. Demolition is expected later this month.

The city is consolidating several outdated operations at the site. The location will be used to stockpile equipment, provide a maintenance base, and demolish and replace buildings on the site. The city’s plans will significantly increase air pollution, in violation of the intent of Minnesota Statutes 116.07 subd. 4(a), the Clark/Berglin Environmental Justice Act, passed specifically to reduce pollution and its related adverse health effects in the East Phillips Green Zone.

Karl Forsberg is our caucus’s former Outreach Director. He’s been an advocate for the work of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute and participated in a press conference of community leaders about the effort.

The City of Minneapolis now has the opportunity to resist its own history of systemic racism by stepping up to do what is right – and what has been promised – for the East Phillips Neighborhood. Community safety begins with a safe place to live. Now is the time to do the right thing and help this community build a sustainable future.

Thanks to John Badger for these beautiful fall photos! Wouldn’t it be great if fall could just be year round?!

4. Legislative Action Committee Update

The Legislative Action Committee is under new leadership. Greg Laden has taken on responsibility for this very active committee. Now is the time to volunteer to help the Caucus Legislative Action Committee. Please review the survey below and contact me, Greg Laden, at DFLEnvironmentalCaucus@gmail.com if you need more information regarding the Legislative Committee.

5. Membership Survey

We need your help, your feedback, your ideas and your skills! Please take a few minutes to share your responses in the survey linked here https://forms.gle/BKjRCR1T8NmYzLmk6

6. Currently in the News

DFL Environmental Caucus Board member Jenn McEwen elected to Minnesota Senate

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/government-and-politics/6746490-McEwen-elected-to-Senate-Duluth-reps-hold-onto-seats

Line 3 https://www.wdio.com/neighborhood/enbridge-gets-minnsota-pca-dnr-approvals-for-line-3-pipeline/5923057
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/enbridge-line-3-replacement-project-210100280.html

Presidential Transition and Climate Change
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/11/biden-climate-change/
Energy Alternatives
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sylviaklimaki/2020/11/12/this-start-up-aims-to-power-our-cars-with-cheaper-energy-than-gas/?sh=6ff0dd257a8c