Senate environment committee advances omnibus environment bill after hours of amendment votes

The Minnesota Senate Environment and Climate Legacy Committee on April 10 advanced Senate File 2077, its omnibus environment, legacy and climate funding and policy bill, sending the measure to the Finance Committee after adopting a series of technical and policy amendments.

Committee members debated and voted on scores of amendments that revised funding direction, exemptions and program authority across multiple state agencies. The bill as amended passed the committee by voice vote with nonpartisan staff authorized to make technical edits before the Finance Committee review.

Among the amendments adopted were technical corrections to forecast transfer language and appropriations (A19), a change to make a community grant a biennial appropriation (A13), adjustments for a recurring $100,000 transfer to the landfill contingency account (A37), and several DNR-related amendments including land-sale authority for Itasca County (A6). The committee also approved targeted program changes such as a Game and Fish Fund appropriation for a muskie study (A35), an e‑waste exemption for certain medical products and batteries…