Fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing sustainable communities.
Welcome to the Land Stewardship Project Action Alerts page. The Land Stewardship Project periodically sends out Action Alerts that describe how citizens can make their voices heard on critical issues related to family farming, the environment and our rural communities.
House Must Take up the Issue Before Adjournment at Midnight Today
"Buy the Farm" legislation is critical for family farmers and landowners who need to relocate because of the massive CapX2020 high voltage power line project. This legislation was amended onto House File 854 on the Senate Floor by Sen. Kevin Dahle on Sunday night. The vote was an...
Demand Reform to Wasteful Crop Subsidies
A new five-year Farm Bill is way overdue, but even more overdue is reform to unaccountable crop subsidies. The largest piece of farm-orientated spending is the nearly $94 billion in federally subsidized crop insurance — most of which goes for crops like corn, soybeans and...
Issue Will be Decided This Week, but a
Key Senator is Attempting to Block
Passage of Good Legislation
This issue is being debated in the Ag and Environment Finance Conference Committee, and could be decided as early as today. ...
House Ag Committee Vote Set for this Week
The U.S. House of Representatives released its draft Farm Bill on Friday, May 10. After numerous delays, things are moving fast — the House Agriculture Committee's debate and votes on the proposed Farm Bill are scheduled for Wednesday, May 15.
A huge problem with the draft legislation is the massive cut proposed to funding for...
Contact Your Senator IMMEDIATELY
Today the Star Tribune newspaper ran an editorial in support of strong regulation of the frac sand industry. The editorial, entitled "Minnesota...
The good news is that on the front page of today's Star Tribune, Governor Mark Dayton said this about Sen. Matt Schmit’s provisions to protect trout streams in southeast Minnesota (including a one mile setback): “I strongly support that position and...
Update & Action to Take on the Push to Win
State Regulation of Frac Sand Mining
A bus from southeast Minnesota brought a crowd up to the Capitol today as part of our push to win the upcoming Senate floor vote on regulating the frac sand industry (a Rochester Post Bulletin story on the bus trip is ...
Sen. Schmit Vows to Keep Fighting for Strong Standards on Frac Sand Mining
Sen. Matt Schmit added language to the Minnesota Legislature's Omnibus Game and Fish Bill (Senate File 796) protecting southeast Minnesota trout streams from frac sand mining and processing. These...
Calls Needed to Ensure Strong State Standards are Enacted
Before Legislators Adjourn May 20
Key Frac Sand Provisions are in Bills Headed to Conference Committee
The Senate and House Omnibus Environment and Agriculture Finance Bills contain frac sand provisions (...
'Buy the Farm' Legislation Ensuring Fair Treatment of
MN Farmers Heads to Conference Committee
Rep. David Bly has successfully amended the Omnibus Environment and Ag Finance Bill (House File 976) to include the language from his “Buy the Farm” bill (House File 338). This language is critical for family farmers and landowners who need to relocate because of the massive...
In the next few days, leaders at the Minnesota Legislature will make key decisions about the future of MinnesotaCare. For 20 years, MinnesotaCare has been an affordable health insurance option for lower-income Minnesotans who...
Bill to be Heard as Early as Wednesday, April 24,
in Senate Environment Finance Committee
Working with Minnesota Trout Unlimited, Sen. Matt Schmit has included language in Senate File 796 protecting southeast Minnesota trout streams from frac sand mining and...
Frac Sand Moratorium Bill to Get Critical Hearing in the Minnesota Senate Environment Finance Committee on Wednesday
Get on the Bus—Southeast MN Express Headed to the Capitol Again; Details Below
On the evening of Wednesday, April 10, Senate File 786...
The Minnesota Legislature took a week off for Easter Break
and will reconvene on Tuesday, April 2. Look for action
alerts and more details when the session picks up again.
CapX2020/ "Buy the Farm"
Xcel Energy and the other CapX2020 backers are trying to subvert the intent of the original "Buy the Farm" law, which was intended to reimburse farmers for their land,...
Calls needed to Judiciary Chair Latz & Majority
Leader Bakk Before 10 am Friday, March 15
Minnesota Senate File 183, authored by Sen. Kevin Dahle, ensures farmers forced off their land get fair compensation. But the bill could die if it does not get a hearing on Friday, March 15. Xcel Energy and other backers of the massive high voltage power line project known as CapX2020...
Legislature Could Vote on HF 5 as Early as Thursday
Late last Thursday the Minnesota Senate voted 37-28 to approve its version of HF 5, a bill to establish a strong, people-first Minnesota health insurance exchange. More than 100 amendments were proposed, most of which were aimed at weakening the exchange, but ultimately the Senate voted to advance an exchange with no insurance...
Call to Let Representatives Know We Need a
Moratorium & Strong State Pollution Standards
MN Senate Moves a Strong Bill Forward
On Wednesday, March 6, citizens packed the Minnesota Senate State and Local Government Committee in support of Senate File 786,...
Action Needed by Monday, March 11, on Two Important Bills that Help MN
Farmers that Need to Relocate Because of the Corporate-Backed CapX2020 Project
The Energy conglomerate behind the CapX2020 high voltage power line project is trying to avoid paying its fair share to family farms negatively impacted by the massive project. With over 700 miles of new high voltage...
On Monday night, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved HF 5, the bill to create a Minnesota health insurance exchange (authored by Rep. Joe Atkin Inver Grove Heights). Under the federal Affordable Care Act, each state is required to have an “insurance exchange,” which can be used to help people and small businesses access the private insurance market in a way...
A Big Step Forward: State Moratorium Added to the Frac Sand Bill (SF 786)!
Next hearing is March 6 in Senate State & Local Government Committee
Get on the bus! The southeast MN express is coming up again. Details are below.
Sen. Matt Schmit of Redwing successfully amended his frac sand bill, Senate File 786, to include a moratorium. This happened in...
Tell State Legislators that Frac Sand Legislation Must Contain a Moratorium
& Language Requiring State Pollution Control Permits; Legislation to be
taken up Tuesday, Feb. 26, Lacks these 2 Key Elements
Get on the bus! A southeast bus is coming up again (details below).
...
We need to fill two buses on Feb. 19 to show Minnesota legislators we want meaningful action on the frac sand issue. The first Minnesota legislative hearing on the frac sand issue is happening Tuesday, Feb. 19, beginning at noon, in the Senate Environment and Policy Committee, and we need a full house.
LSP plans...
State Senate hearing on the Issue is Tues., Feb. 19,
at Noon, in the Senate Environment Policy Committee
Corporate interests are pushing industrial-scale frac sand mining into rural Minnesota. The clock is ticking and the frac sand industry wants to push into Minnesota full force before state permitting standards can be established. NOW is the time for the state to act, not after...
Earlier this month, Senator Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick) and Representative Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) introduced SF1/HF5, a bill that would set Minnesota on the right path by creating a people-centered health insurance exchange in Minnesota.
Under the federal Affordable Care Act, each state is required to have an insurance exchange that would have the purpose of helping people...
This summer and fall, Land Stewardship Project members and volunteers set up at farmers' markets, county fairs and community events across Minnesota to talk about the problem of excessive corporate power in our economy and our democracy. This excessive power has resulted in thousands of conversations and 2,000 people signing on to LSP’s “Corporate Power Has Gone Too Far”...