Jesse Ventura on Environment Former Independent MN Governor; possible Presidential Challenger

EPA approved poisons in Gulf to disperse BP oil spill

Driven off his family farm due to development

But driving an interstate can be deceiving. Agribusiness keeps the big factory farms--livestock operations with thousands of cattle, hogs, and poultry--just far enough off the freeway so you can't usually see or smell them. In the area closest to the feedlots, you can barely breathe even if you roll up your windows and shut off the outside air.

We'd bought a 32-acre-ranch in Maple Grove in the mid 1990's, because Terry wanted a place where she could have her horses on our own land, instead of boarding them. We hadn't been living there long when I had to fight the county tax assessors to keep our farm status. They claimed I had another job. Well, many farm families have dual occupations.

The truth was, the government wanted to drive us out--because of pressure from developers. Eventually they succeeded.

Entered mayoral race because of water drainage issues

It was supposed to be a nonpartisan election. But the heads of the state Democratic & Republican parties came together and wrote a joint letter calling me "the most dangerous man in the city." I won, 65% to 35%.

Pushed for light rail in Twin Cities

I pushed for light rail because I saw it as playing an important role in the future. I went to Denver to study their light-rail system. It's the old wagon wheel concept; all the spokes lead to the city center, and those are your trains. The busses connect to the trains.

[For the Twin Cities], the idea was that the system would run for 11.5 miles, connecting the Mall of America to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to downtown. I found out that 60% of the people who live [along the route] can't afford to own a car. They'd now have the ability to get downtown or to the mall, and find at least an entry-level job.

I took abuse from talk radio show hosts who called the light rail plan "the big boondoggle" or "the train to nowhere." Their notion was, we have our cars, MN doesn't need mass transit.

Smart Growth with greenways and mass transit

Recycling conserves our limited resources

Teach environment in grade schools

A: [I am] a longtime environmentalist and member of the Isaac Walton League. Education starting in grade school is the best way to teach anyone about the environment. Regardless of their location, schools can give students hands-on type of education about the environment and how it affects their lives.

Q: Do you support the ballot initiative for 40% of lottery proceeds to be dedicated to the Environmental Trust Fund?

A: Yes.

Too risky to have large feedlots near homes

A: The most pressing issue currently is the feedlot issue. I support the temporary moratorium that is in-place while the studies are being undertaken. We need to know what effect the large feedlots are having on our air, soil, surface and ground water. At this point it is unknown if we are subjecting Minnesotans to significantly increased health risks by allowing large feedlot operations to be constructed near homes. That is not an acceptable risk.

Other environmental issues that will need to be addressed in the near future include, Minnesota’s plan for managing the timber wolf, resolving the continuing disputes in the BWCA and Voyager’s National Parks, clear-cutting forests, management of old growth forests, development of green corridors, and regulations involving personal watercraft and snowmobile usage.

Replace MTBE in gasoline with cleaner ethanol.

• WHEREAS, The Clean Air Act requires the use of an oxygenate in reformulated gasoline used in non-attainment areas; and
• WHEREAS, This requirement has resulted in important air quality benefits to our nation; and
• WHEREAS, The decision of petroleum refiners to use methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) rather than clean, renewable ethanol has resulted in serious degradation of groundwater in some regions; and
• WHEREAS, Eliminating the oxygenate requirement is not necessary to allow states to ban MTBE, and would harm efforts to achieve the air quality goals in the Clean Air Act; and
• WHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture has determined that ethanol can replace MTBE in reformulated gasoline nationwide within three years, without increases in price or supply disruption; and
• WHEREAS, The use of ethanol not only reduces toxins and improves air quality, it reduces America’s dependence on imported petroleum and thereby reduces our nation’s trade deficit by some $12 billion over the next ten years, increases farm income by an estimated $1 billion annually, and reduces farm program costs by creating important new markets for grain; now therefore be it
• RESOLVED, That the Midwestern Governors’ Conference encourages Congress to maintain its commitment to the federal Clean Air Act by retaining the oxygenate requirement of the reformulated gasoline program and by implementing standards that ensure the opportunity for the use of ethanol blended gasoline in any reformulated gasoline program, thereby preserving the natural environment, protecting the public health and reducing the nation’s dependence upon foreign petroleum.

More state autonomy on brownfields & Superfund cleanups.

The Issue

NGA’s Position

Support State Revolving Loan Fund for flexible Clean Water.

The Issue

NGA’s Position

More EPA flexibility on interstate ozone.

• WHEREAS, the proposed action by EPA in November 1997 aimed at reducing the interstate transport of ozone appears to take a one-size-fits-all approach for determining the needed level of nitrogen oxide emission reductions in Midwestern states that goes beyond our contribution to poor air quality outside the Midwest; and
• WHEREAS, the proposed action by EPA also calls for a level of emission reductions that cannot be practically achieved in the proposed timeframe; and
• WHEREAS, the EPA will not have the scientific information sufficient to determine the ultimate appropriate level of nitrogen oxide emission reductions needed to assist in solving the nation’s ozone public health problems by September 1998, the scheduled date for finalizing its reduction plan; and
• RESOLVED, that the Midwestern Governors’ Conference believes that the EPA should fully consider options to the EPA’s nitrogen oxide reduction plan that are presented by individual statesand groups of states which make substantial progress in solving the clean air problems in the short-term and assure that the final control actions in the longer-term are cost-effective, achievable, based on good science and represent sound public policy; and be it further
• RESOLVED, that the Midwestern Governors’ Conference believes that, with respect to regional haze in the Midwest and East, the EPA should allow the substantial programs currently underway to address public health issues and acid rain to progress and evaluate their effectiveness before determining any further reductions needed to continue to improve regional haze; and be it further
• RESOLVED, that the Midwestern Governors’ Conference believes that EPA should work cooperatively with all states and affected interests to craft clean air plans for interstate transport and regional haze that are in the best interest of all Americans.