Precinct Caucuses Feb 3 - Your Voice Needed

• Yes to Homes, No to Uncontrolled Development
• People Not Polluters
• Data Centers
• Carbon Free Electricity
• HERC Trash Burner
• Organic Waste
• Stand Up for Minnesota's Water
• Stop Trump’s Attacks on on the Boundary Waters
• Rights of Manoomin/Psin
• Legalize Land Value Tax

Yes to Homes, No to Uncontrolled Development

Whereas, current land use policies are damaging to the climate. Since undeveloped and natural lands sequester carbon and provide habitat, destroying more and more of those lands year after year at the perimeter of metropolitan areas is hugely detrimental.  

Whereas, new development at the fringe of metro areas is the most inefficient and polluting.  The #1 source of climate emissions from Minnesota – and the nation – is transportation.  Our land use policies force more people to be dependent on car travel and also to drive longer and longer distances. Decades of studies show that where people live makes a huge impact on how much they pollute.  People living in denser areas pollute a lot less per capita than people who don’t.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

The party should enact legislation that increases the supply of housing statewide that:

• supports location efficiency to reduce climate impact and improve health and economic outcomes;
• is more accessible and affordable, streamlines housing approvals to help local governments quickly close the housing shortage;
• reverses the effects of racial and economic exclusionary zoning.

People Not Polluters

Whereas, past and present DFL legislators have passed laws giving authority to state agencies protect our air and water for us and future generations, 

Whereas, more and more often leaders of state agencies (including the Pollution Control Agency, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture and Department of Health) refuse to enforce existing laws,

Whereas, a coalition of 19 environmental organizations called People Not Polluters have documented 13 examples of  “polluter capture” of state agencies where corporate polluters have too much influence over how they are regulated,

Whereas, examples of polluter capture documented at peoplenotpolluters.com include the state inaction on the Line 3 pipeline permit violations, PolyMet mine, MinnTac mine, Northern Metal, Water Gremlin, feedlot expansions, pesticide drift, and nitrate pollution of our drinking water by corporate agriculture, and

Whereas, state agencies should not treat our environmental laws as if they are just suggestions to protect certain favored industries,  

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

The State Legislature should hold hearings on polluter capture and each of these agency failures to protect Minnesotans and our air and water.

Data Centers

Whereas, Minnesota’s 100% Carbon-Free Electricity Standard requires a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, yet hyperscale data centers demand extraordinary amounts of electricity—often hundreds of megawatts each—frequently triggering proposals to delay fossil fuel plant retirements or build new ones, threatening Minnesotans with higher electricity rates and jeopardizing our carbon-free energy goals;

Whereas, water is a finite public resource essential to Minnesotans’ health, ecosystems, and economy, and hyperscale data centers can withdraw hundreds of millions of gallons of potable groundwater or surface water annually for cooling and for the electricity generation that supports their operations, while Minnesota lacks comprehensive, statewide groundwater data and already faces regional aquifer stress;

Whereas, Minnesota grants hyperscale data centers a generous sales tax exemption for enterprise IT equipment and software,an incentive expected to exceed $100 million per year and divert critical public revenue without demonstrated statewide benefit;

Whereas, hyperscale data centers impose significant local and global burdens, including increased noise, light pollution, massive electrical transmission expansions, and substantial electronic waste from equipment replaced every 2 to 5 years, amplifying impacts on nearby communities and the global mining footprint required to supply these facilities;

Whereas, transparency is foundational to democratic governance, yet hyperscale data center developers increasingly require local governments to sign nondisclosure agreements—sometimes years before public disclosure—undermining community engagement and eroding Minnesotans’ right to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their health, environment, and public resources;

Whereas, the primary beneficiaries of hyperscale data centers are the world’s wealthiest corporations and individuals, who capture the overwhelming economic gains from AI and related technologies while the public absorbs the environmental, social, and infrastructure costs,exacerbating inequality and concentrating technological and economic power in the hands of the top 1%;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

Support a comprehensive statutory framework—up to and including a moratorium on the construction of new hyperscale data centers—to ensure that Minnesota’s energy, water, fiscal resources, communities, and democratic processes are protected before any data center may proceed; 

and that such a framework must require full public transparency and engagement, robust environmental review in the form of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), clear siting standards, equitable economic policy, and enforceable guarantees that Minnesota’s climate and carbon-free energy goals, natural resources, and people—not corporations—determine the future of data center development in our state.

Defend the 100% Carbon Free Electricity Law

Whereas, the cost of solar, wind and industrial scale batteries have plummeted and are now the cheapest and fastest way to produce new electricity,  

Whereas, an 2023 Oxford study concluded the transition to clean energy will actually save us money. And the faster we transition, the more we save,

Whereas, in 2023 DFL Legislators passed an unambiguous “100% Law” which requires Minnesota utilities to shift to 100% carbon free energy for the the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to implement the law, 

Whereas, companies that want to burn wood or trash for electricity  are asking the PUC to violate the law and pretend they are carbon free,

Whereas, burning either wood or “waste wood” for electricity is actually worse than burning coal.  Wood is much less energy dense than coal so you need to burn much more of it to generate the same amount of electricity.

Whereas, utilities like Minnesota Power are looking to harvest our northern forests for wood to keep old coal plants burning, but with a different dirty fuel.

Whereas, 42 legislators recently wrote to the PUC standing up for the law as written

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

The PUC and the Walz Administration should implement the 100% Carbon Free Law as written and not allow burning wood or burning trash to be considered “carbon free.”

Keep the Promise to Shut Down HERC Trash Burner

The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) is the largest industrial source of air pollution in Hennepin County.  The incinerator burns tons of trash from Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.  It is located near Target Field between Downtown and North Minneapolis.

For 230,000 people living in adjacent neighborhoods -- mostly low-income and people of color -- dirty air, chemical fumes, and the risk of poor health have become part of daily life.  HERC's pollutants trigger asthma attacks, and contribute to heart attacks, strokes, cancers, birth defects, learning disabilities, and other harmful health outcomes.

HERC consumes tens of millions of dollars each year that should be spent instead on zero-waste infrastructure, education, and outreach. It is putting the public in debt from government bonds to pay for repairs. Shutting down incinerators is catalyzing the zero waste transition all over the country.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

The ____ Party will combat environmental racism by demanding that the Hennepin County Board keep its promise and shut down the HERC trash burner as it resolved to do on October 24, 2023.  HERC must be shut down by 2027, in line with a resolution the City of Minneapolis passed on October 31, 2024.

Reduce Organic Waste and Food Insecurity

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

Support eliminating organic material from landfills and incinerators across Minnesota and addressing food insecurity in our communities by prioritizing food waste reduction, supporting food rescue organizations, and expanding local composting programs that keep resources in the community, enrich our soil, and support environmental justice and public health.

Stand Up for Minnesota's Water

Be it resolved that the _____ Party supports clean water and supports a policy that would protect Minnesota's many waters from the dangers of copper-sulfide mining and protect Minnesota from the foreign mining companies seeking to exploit and profit from our resources.

Whereas, According to the Environmental Protection Agency, copper-nickel sulfide mining is the most polluting industry in the U.S

Whereas, sulfide mining has a perfect track record of polluting surrounding water systems

Whereas, there has never been a nickel or copper mine in Minnesota, let alone at the headwaters of iconic watersystems such as the Boundary Waters, Lake Superior, and the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers

Whereas, international mining conglomerates behind the proposed sulfide mines in Minnesota — Glencore, Teck, Antofagasta, and Rio Tinto — have long histories of violating environmental laws and mistreating both union and non-union workers that in 2024 the International Trade Union Confederation named Glencore (a parent company of proposed NewRange-PolyMet sulfide mines) as one of seven entities that undermine democracy and violate human and workers' rights

Stop Trump’s Attacks on on the Boundary Waters

Be it resolved that the ____ Party supports clean water, the BWCA and will fight back against the Trump Administration's corrupt efforts to enrich foreign mining companies who want to exploit our public lands and clean water at the expense of our beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Whereas, President Donald Trump promised to open up Minnesota to sulfide mining in Minnesota during a campaign visit in July 2024 and with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber (MN-8) is laser-focused on opening up the watershed of the Boundary Waters to copper sulfide mining.  On March 20th, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order,“Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,”which would weaken environmental review and standards that protect our water and health including the BWCA. Since 2023, when the federal government revoked Twin Metals leases and placed a 20-year moratorium on sulfide mining on the public land surrounding the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, the area has been protected from sulfide mining, the most polluting industry in the United States.  Twin Metals, owned by Chilean mining giant Antofagasta, is seeking to open a risky, polluting sulfide mine at the doorstep of the Boundary waters. The Trump backed “Big, Beautiful, Bill” included provisions that would have reversed current protections for the Boundary Waters, reinstated Twin Metals mineral leases, and prohibits citizens from suing in court to stop this unpopular and risky plan. 69% of Minnesotans, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike do not want copper sulfide mining in the Boundary Waters Watershed, and prefer to permanently protect the area.

Rights of Manoomin/Psin

Whereas, Manoomin/Psiŋ (wild rice), an important grain to Minnesota and Indigenous Peoples, is under multiple threats and needs legal protection to exist and flourish

Whereas, Manoomin/Psiŋ, or wild rice, can no longer thrive in Southern Minnesota as it once did, largely due to human activities and pollution.

Whereas, without legal protections, wild rice production will continue to decline.

Whereas, Manoomin/Psiŋ is sacred and central to the culture and health of Indigenous Peoples in Minnesota and critical to the health and identity of all Minnesota citizens and ecosystems, and deserves protections from climate change, invasive species, pollution, and destructive development.

Whereas, Manoomin/Psiŋ (wild rice), an important grain to Minnesota and Indigenous Peoples, is under multiple threats and needs legal protection to exist and flourish Whereas, Manoomin/Psiŋ, or wild rice, can no longer thrive in Southern Minnesota as it once did, largely due to human activities and pollution.

Whereas, without legal protections, wild rice production will continue to decline.

Whereas, Manoomin/Psiŋ is sacred and central to the culture and health of Indigenous Peoples in Minnesota and critical to the health and identity of all Minnesota citizens and ecosystems, and deserves protections from climate change, invasive species, pollution, and destructive development.

Therefore, be it resolved that we call on the Minnesota lawmakers to enact strong protections for water and wild rice that will allow this plant to exist and thrive.

Legalize Land Value Tax

BE IT RESOLVED THAT: 

Minnesota pass legislation enabling (not mandating) cities to create revenue-neutral Land Value Tax Districts for designated corridors or neighborhoods in place of conventional property tax, to improve housing and other development opportunities while also capturing community-created value for community benefit.

BRIEF EXPLANATION / SUPPORTIVE POINTS: 

Whereas, cities across Minnesota are blighted with vacant and underused parcels on which badly needed housing, and jobs could be located near in-place infrastructure rather than sprawling into greenfields.

Whereas, the conventional property tax that Minnesota cities use is upside down in that it rewards with lower taxes speculators who sit on such parcels as their value increases while penalizing with higher taxes those who invest in communities by constructing and improving buildings for housing and jobs.

Whereas, in Minnesota it is illegal for cities to flip the script with a revenue-neutral land value tax (LVT) shift that cities in other states have used to tax the land value portion of properties at higher rate than the building portion so that development pressure is put on owners of vacant and underused sites to put them to higher use or to sell them to someone that will.

Whereas, cities using LVT have seen downtown redevelopment, increases in building permits and - when used city-wide - tax reductions for most residents.

Whereas, building value is created by individuals' labor and material costs that go into the construction and improvement of structures while land value is created by the surrounding community's increase in population and wealth and its investments in schools, parks, infrastructure, public safety, etc.

Whereas, LVT captures community-created value for community purposes rather than having it captured as a windfall gain by private parties.