Contact: margaret.levin@sierraclub.org, 612-259-2446
St. Paul, MN -- Today Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced his two-year budget proposal. In response, the Sierra Club North Star Chapter issued the following statement from State Director Margaret Levin:
“Minnesotans are ready to make a state and climate where we can all be safe and healthy, and we expect to hear a plan from Governor Walz that actually addresses climate change, which he has called an 'existential threat.'
“Yet, to our disappointment, the Governor's budget is not a 'climate budget' and falls far short of the urgent action we need to advance climate justice. We appreciate Governor Walz asking the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share. But we need a budget that #FundsOurLives, and there is little for climate and nothing for transit -- even though our transportation system is the largest source of climate pollution and worsens inequality. A focus on COVID is needed, but we also know the climate crisis will fall most heavily on the same communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
"The unwillingness of Senate Republicans to acknowledge the climate crisis is not an excuse to give up. Governor Walz failed to advance a budget that includes the climate action Minnesotans demand. House Democrats have shown leadership for our climate in the past, and the majority of Minnesotans who want real action are relying on them to lead again.”
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