Tina Liebling on Environment

Those who exploit resources should pay for any cleanup

Before we allow corporations to exploit our natural resources, we must make sure the environment is protected and that sufficient financial guarantees are in place to pay for any cleanup. After the fact, we must hold them accountable for any harm they caused. Too often, polluters have made their money and left the cleanup to the taxpayer. We Minnesotans love our natural resources and will have to stay vigilant to make sure we keep them.

Our children deserve to grow up in a healthy environment, whether they live in the city, the country, or somewhere in between. Clean water, clean food, and clean air should be their birthright.

Establish Great Lakes Compact to protect public resources

• the waters of the basin are precious public natural resources shared and held in trust by the states;
• the waters of the basin are interconnected and part of a single hydrologic system;
• continued sustainable, accessible and adequate water supplies for the people and economy of the basin are of vital importance;
• Purposes of the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact:
• to act together to protect, conserve, restore, and effectively manage the waters and natural resources of the basin despite current lack of full scientific certainty
• to facilitate consistent approaches to water management across the basin while retaining state management authority.