Lawmakers STOP subsidizing the Big Ag companies, and make these companies foot the bill for contamin

The People of Minnesota expect their government to protect their water. Clean water is necessary to the health of our families and communities and we take that very seriously. Minnesotans do not want special interest groups to be deciding what is best for our water. We do not stand for Big Ag companies to knowingly pass off the cost of cleaning up the mess their products and practices cause on to Minnesotan Tax Payers. 

Minnesota has a vital stake in preserving their environment.  We have always prided ourselves on the bountiful clean beautiful lakes we use for recreation, and our abundant clean safe drinking water.

Excess phosphorus and nitrogen from Big Factory Farms are reaching surrounding lakes and streams and causing algae blooms that kill the fish and make water smelly and unsafe for swimming or drinking. This is costing major dollars to our recreational tourism, property values are tanking surrounding the growing numbers of polluted lakes and streams, not to mention what the cost to taxpayers will be to clean up these areas.

High nitrate levels, from chemical and raw animal waste, and glyphosphate levels, from chemicals like Roundup, are also contaminating our Minnesotan wells.  This is costing communities hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment plus tens of thousands in operating costs annually to treat contaminated municipal wells. Not only is it expensive but the costs to health directly related to chemical run off includes but is not limited to Blue Baby Syndrome, Kidney Disease, and Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Glyphosphate, a powerful herbicide that kills everything but the genetically engineered Roundup Ready plants, has recently been linked to causing cancer by the World Health Organization.  Since 1995 total Glyphosphate use on corn and soybeans has risen 20-fold, from 10 million to 205 million lbs/year.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently studied the Minnesotan portion of the Missouri River basin and the surrounding lakes and streams. What they found is,” Of the water bodies studied, no lakes and few streams in the Minnesota portion of the Missouri River Basin met state standards for supporting aquatic life and recreation ; fishable and swimmable”.

According to the MPCA,“The study assessed 93 of 181 stream sections in the four watersheds for aquatic life or aquatic recreation. Of these, only three were considered fully supporting of aquatic life, and one fully supporting of aquatic recreation. Fifty three sections were non-supporting of aquatic life and 31 non-supporting of aquatic recreation. None of the lakes in the Missouri River Basin met the aquatic recreation standard. The impairments are caused by high levels of bacteria, nitrates and sediment. Due to the many impairments, the MPCA sees a great need for exploration of major stressors to water quality. Improving water quality will require changes on the land draining to the basin, especially reducing pollutants from farming practices.”

Lawmakers we need to take care of our Beautiful Minnesotan water, and quit subsidizing the companies responsible for polluting them.  Stand up and hold Factory owned Farms and Big Ag Chemical companies financially responsible for cleaning up their pollution, and continuing to knowingly destroy our water and health.  Why should we taxpayers pay for their bad business?