State Legislature

Mission

Across Minnesota, people of all ages, races, and backgrounds deserve clean air, water, lands and a healthy climate. We work at the state legislature to pass bills to make this a reality.

What We Do

• Set policy priorities
• Lobby for our priorities at the state capitol
• Inspire Sierra Club supporters to contact their legislators
• Pass strong environmental laws!

Get Involved

The 2026 State Legislative Session is shaping up to be similar to 2025. There is still a tied state house and one vote DFL majority in the state senate.

The Sierra Club North Star Chapter will remain focused on defending our essential state laws from attack by polluters and anti-environment legislators. With federal rollbacks, chaos and unlawfulness we must hold the line here in Minnesota.

Volunteer roles include: contacting legislators, joining rallies at the capitol, writing letters to the editor and calling other Sierra Club members about key issues. Sign up here for legislative rapid response. 

State Legislative Priorities

The Sierra Club North Star Chapter brings the voices of our 50,000 Minnesotan supporters to the State Capitol to pass strong environmental laws. With Federal rollbacks and chaos, State action could not be more urgent. 

Defense & Emerging Threats

• We will rigorously defend any attempted rollbacks of environmental and climate laws. 
• We will fight for the enforcement of our existing laws through our People Not Polluters campaign and legislative oversight hearings on the issue of polluting industries capturing the state agencies regulating them.  
• We are also bringing attention and seeking protection from emerging threats like hyperscale data centers.

Proactive Priorities 2025 - 2026 Minnesota state legislative biennium

With a tied House and 1 vote DFL majority in the Senate, our proactive work will focus on educating the public and legislators about our priorities and building for future sessions.

Top Priority

• Land Use & Transportation - Support transportation & land use reforms that reduce climate pollution from transportation and increase housing affordability.  This includes legalizing a variety of housing types in walkable communities, especially denser housing near transit.
• Building Decarbonization - Reduce climate pollution from homes and buildings via policies to transition from polluting appliances to clean energy options and reduce the use of fossil gas.
• Carbon & Habitat Reserve - Protect peatland bogs and forests which sequester large amounts of carbon and provide unique wildlife habitat by establishment of a land reserve; explore possible Tribal Nation co-management of these lands.

Next Level of Priority

• Automated Solar Permitting - Replace the current patchwork of local rooftop solar permitting rules with statewide instant permitting for residential rooftop solar, to help meet our clean energy goals.
• Agricultural Nitrate Pollution - Protect our climate and drinking water by reducing nitrate pollution of ground and surface water from agricultural runoff.
• Zero Waste Platform - Adopt the Zero Waste Coalition policy platform: policies to generate less waste, and address electronic waste and toxics in plastics.
• East Phillips Urban Farm - Pass bonding to create a neighborhood center including an indoor aquaculture and agricultural center, youth services, businesses, job training, and more.

Through volunteer-led advocacy, we are also tracking and working on:

• Ban on hunting of wolves
• Common sense policies for motorized recreation
• Regulation of trash in state waters
• Reduce use of road salt and promote alternatives
• Limitations on wake boats

 Recent State Legislature Updates