Minnesota Legislature
Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources
The LCCMR is made up of 17 members: 5 Senators, 5 Representatives, 5 citizens appointed by the governor, 1 citizen appointed by the Senate, and 1 citizen appointed by the House. The function of the LCCMR is to make funding recommendations to the legislature for special environment and natural resource projects, primarily from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). These projects help maintain and enhance Minnesota's environment and natural resources. The LCCMR developed from a program initiated in 1963. Since 1963, approximately $1.5 billion has been appropriated to more than 2,600 projects recommended to the legislature by the Commission to protect and enhance Minnesota's environment and natural resources.
Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF)
In 1988, 77% of Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment establishing the ENRTF (Article XI, Sec. 14) - a constitutionally dedicated fund that originates from a combination of Minnesota State Lottery proceeds and investment income. The purpose of the ENRTF is to provide a long-term, consistent, and stable source of funding for activities that protect, conserve, preserve, and enhance Minnesota's "air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources" for the benefit of current citizens and future generations. Since 1991, the ENRTF has provided approximately $1.1 billion to over 1,700 projects around the state.
M.L. 2025 Project Recommendations
As of July 31, 2024, the Legislative‐Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) has selected 125 projects totaling $103,326,000 to recommend to the 2025 Minnesota Legislature for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). In response to LCCMR’s 2025 Request for Proposal (RFP), 214 proposals requesting a total of approximately $183 million were received and considered through a competitive, multi‐stage evaluation. The following recommendations range from funding the full proposal and dollar amount requested to partial funding for specific proposal elements.
2025 ENRTF Recommendations
Summary and Process
On April 4, 2024, the Legislature approved 101 projects for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF), as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). On April 15, 2024, the 101 appropriations were signed into law by the Governor as M.L. 2024, Chapter 83, with $79,644,000 from the ENRTF.M.L. 2024 Projects Funded
LCCMR Strategic Planning
NEW - LCCMR Six-Year Strategic Plan for the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund 2025 - 2031, adopted on December 11, 2024.
LCCMR Biennial Report to the Legislature
The LCCMR biennial report as required in M.S. 116P.09, Subd. 7 from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) due January 15, 2023 is available. The report covers LCCMR actions from Jan. 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022, including summaries of past funding accomplishments and new recommendations for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.
Emerging Issues Account
The Emerging Issues Account is intended to be used for efforts addressing an unexpected and urgent need in an expedited manner. Requests for funds from the Emerging Issues account follow a different process than the LCCMR’s RFP and funding recommendation process. These appropriations are authorized under M.S. 116P.08, Subd. 4. Click below to learn more about the process for requesting funds from the Emerging Issues Account.
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