Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund
The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund was established following voter approval of a constitutional amendment in 1988. The money in the Trust Fund is generated by the Minnesota State Lottery. The Trust Fund holds assets that can be appropriated, "for the public purpose of protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources." Between 1991 and 2010, the legislature appropriated nearly $310 million from the Trust Fund to 746 projects around the state.
In 2009, the legislature appropriated $25.6 million from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund to 62 projects recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) that began July 1, 2009. For 2010, the legislature is currently considering appropriation of $26 million to 72 projects recommended by the LCCMR that would begin July 1, 2010.