
Strengthening protections in environmental justice communities
For generations, highway construction in Minnesota has unfairly burdened certain communities, particularly low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, with excessive pollution and health risks. When highways like I-94, I-35, and Olson Memorial (MN 55) were built, they cut through neighborhoods like Near North, Rondo, Cedar-Riverside, and Old Southside in creating what are essentially “sacrifice zones” where residents face increased rates of asthma, dementia, cancer, and other serious health problems.
In 2023, Minnesota took an essential first step to address environmental injustice by passing a “cumulative impacts” law that protects vulnerable communities from polluting facilities like factories and incinerators. Cumulative impacts are the combined effects of current and past pollution and other stressors and how they impact the health, well-being, and quality of life of residents in those communities. While the 2023 law was a major step, it left out one of the largest sources of pollution Minnesota communities face: highways.
Our Streets is working alongside community partners to fix this gap via a new law that requires the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to study and mitigate the total impact of highway projects on nearby communities before moving forward with construction. If a project would cause too much harm to an already overburdened neighborhood, MnDOT would need to either change its plans to reduce the negative effects or negotiate a community benefit agreement that ensures the community receives meaningful benefits from the project. If neither step is taken, the project cannot proceed.
This policy ensures that the burden of highway pollution doesn’t continue to fall on environmental justice communities while incentivizing more responsible transportation investments that consider both climate and environmental justice impacts. This law is about creating a fairer, healthier Minnesota where your zip code doesn’t determine your lifespan.
The 2025 Cumulative Impacts Law for Transportation, one of the three pillars of the Highway Justice Bill, would specifically require:
- Expanding the existing cumulative impacts law to apply to major highway projects (as defined by project cost) that run through environmental justice communities.
Creating an Environmental Justice Ombutsperson within MnDOT to serve as a liaison, watchdog, and equity advocate within the agency. Colorado has created a similar position to investigate environmental justice complaints.
Contact your representatives.
Ask your legislators to protect environmental justice communities as part of the Highway Justice Act.