On July 5, 2016 the Unite States settled a law suit with the owners of the Lake Superior freighter M/V Cornelia after the senior engineering officer on the ship was found to have ordered the ship’s dirty bilge water discharged into Lake Superior on multiple occasions. Funds from the lawsuit have been distributed to environmental groups who will use the money to plant trees and make improvements to Lake Superior and its surrounding ecology.
For the first time in its 25 years, the nonprofit Minnesota Environmental Fund (MEF) is granting a total of $176,000 to four of its member organizations to protect the clean water and natural resources of the Lake Superior watershed. These funds were awarded to MEF in a community service settlement agreement as recommended by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, and are intended to address and provide justice for environmental degradation in Lake Superior.
Since 1991, people in Minnesota have been donating to the Minnesota Environmental Fund through their workplaces. MEF then distributes these funds to more than 20 environmental nonprofits, protecting, conserving and restoring Minnesota’s environment.
“When the United States Attorney’s Office needed an experienced partner to distribute these funds to strong environmental nonprofits working within the Lake Superior watershed, the Minnesota Environmental Fund was ready with effective member groups and great projects,” said Cordelia Pierson, executive director of MEF.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is gratified that this criminal penalty is being used by the Minnesota Environmental Fund to counteract the harm identified through the prosecution of an environmental crime occurring in the Great Lakes,” noted John Kokkinen, Assistant United States Attorney at the Department of Justice in Minneapolis.
Each of the four recipients, North American Water Office, Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy, and The Trust for Public Land, will be working over the next year on these land restoration projects. The projects include planting over 2,500 wild fruit plants in collaboration with local Native American tribes, acquiring and restoring high priority land for Minnesota State Parks, restoring the ecological balance of 250 acres of forests along key rivers, and protecting priority land in the Lake Superior watershed.
“These grants showcase the power of our vision – working together to shape a sustainable and just future for Minnesota’s environment,” said Christina Hausman, president of MEF. “Because people support MEF at work, MEF was able to act quickly to ensure these grants protected Lake Superior. We are deeply grateful for this long-term support from the people living near Lake Superior, the recommendation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our members leading these Lake Superior projects.”
The City of Duluth, the University of MN-Duluth, the State of Minnesota, and federal agencies are all workplaces in the Lake Superior area that offer giving to the Minnesota Environmental Fund. Employees can choose to give through payroll giving with each payroll or a onetime gift.
About Minnesota Environmental Fund:
The Minnesota Environmental Fund engages workplaces and individuals to support leading nonprofit organizations that protect, conserve and restore Minnesota’s environment. In 2015, the Fund raised $511,000 at more than 100 workplaces across Minnesota, reaching more than 200,000 employees and supporting over 20 organizations.
For more information about the Minnesota Environmental Fund, its environmental partners, and workplace giving for Minnesota’s environment, please visit the web at www.mnenvirofund.org
Leave a Reply