Environmental

Summary: Minnesota protects the environment under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act (MERA). Under MERA, citizens may bring suits for civil remedies where activities are interfering with their enjoyment of natural resources, including eagle nesting sites. The law provides a comprehensive scheme under which anyone with sufficient interest in protecting land, water, air, or any natural resources may bring suit to enjoin an action.

Summary: The trust fund consists of all bonuses, rentals and royalties collected or reserved by the state under provisions of leases for the extraction of nonrenewable resources from state owned lands.

Summary: This section declares the protection, conservation, and development of the state's natural resources to be of paramount public concern and the legislature shall provide for the protection of the air, water and other natural resources of the state from pollution, impairment and destruction.

Summary: These sections describe the regulatory powers of the Department of Natural Resources in issuing conservation orders protecting fish, game, and birds.

Summary: This Section describes the Department of Natural Resource's authority to co-operate with the federal government and to use hunters' license fees for wildlife restoration.

Summary: These Sections describe the State's desire to conserve biological diversity as well as the State's strategy and considerations in achieving this goal. These sections also create the joint legislative working committee on biological diversity.

Summary: These sections define, identify, and set guidelines for the protection of wilderness, wild, and/or natural areas.

Summary: These sections describe the necessity and process of obtaining a permit to build a marina, canal or any other project that affects any inland lake, stream or bottomland.

Summary: These sections lay out the process and standards to determine a pollution violation, actions for declaratory and equitable relief, the burden of proof, and affirmative defenses to such violations.

Summary: These sections describe the ability of courts and the Commission to review the Department of Natural Resources decisions and the ability for the public to circulate and sign petitions.