Commissioner Laura Bishop resigned on July 6, 2021 rather than be fired in retribution for her work to protect Minnesotans’ air, water, and climate. GOP senators have made it clear they are more committed to partisan politics than public health. The threatened firing comes on the heels of a contentious session where the same senators threatened to withhold environment funding if the Walz administration didn’t delay or halt the already approved Clean Cars rule.
“Minnesotans want to see government work for their families and communities. The Senate GOP’s decision to fire Commissioner Bishop in retribution shows some elected officials are more interested in partisan politics than public health,” said Paul Austin, Executive Director of Conservation Minnesota. “I applaud Commissioner Laura Bishop’s leadership and commitment to protecting our air, water, and climate.”
Notable MPCA accomplishments under Commissioner Bishop’s leadership including working relentlessly to pass funding to clean up the contaminated Waste Disposal Engineering landfill in Andover, forging a bipartisan agreement to phase out the dangerous chemical TCE that has endangered Minnesota workers and communities, crafting a statewide blueprint for dealing with PFAS pollution that has been praised by city leaders across Minnesota, and strengthening Minnesota’s clean car standards.