The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party holds its 2014 convention this coming weekend in Duluth, Minnesota at the DECC, on the shores of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater body (by scorching hot surface area) on planet Earth. The weather in Duluth has captured some media attention...
As far as the convention, local political media types have started to assemble their twitter lists of delegates and activists at this convention, and the one being held simultaneously by the MN GOP in Rochester:
The DFL Party itself has put together a great website for the convention, with a 2014 DFL Convention FAQs page and reports to the convention from the platform, rules and constitution commitees
Tomorrow night in Duluth a number of pre-convention hospitality events hosted by candidates and special interests take place, as well as meetings of some DFL Constituency Caucuses.
Before the convention convenes on Saturday, there are a handful of Victory Workshops for any DFLer, not just delegates.
One hopes that the record heat on the Great Lake next to the convention helps the delegates put the climate crisis and the threat to area lakes and rivers by industrial pollution, including the proposed Polymet mine, in sufficient spotlight to make great decisions while respecting the will of the people who caucused and elected delegates, passing resolutions at the precinct and county or senate district conventions, and the integrity of the process which is supposed to enable balanced debate and full consideration of the multiple sides of these issues.
I am a delegate to the MN DFL convention from Beltrami County. Our county convention passed these resolutions on to the Platform Commission (2 of 20 total allowed):
14. Be it resolved that the Minnesota DFL Party opposes the hunting of wolves. (Category: Natural Resources and the Environment)
15. Be it resolved that the Minnesota DFL Party supports the following:
(a) Requiring PolyMet to be forever accountable to Minnesota for damage to water quality and the environment from its copper nickel sulfide mining operation.
(b) Requiring PolyMet to pay a predetermined sum of money up front into a copper mining trust fund to completely pay for any damage incurred and any cleanup in perpetuity.
(c) Requiring PolyMet, if it should file bankruptcy or sell to another mining company or companies, to make this arrangement part of the purchase or exchange contract for the new owner or owners.
(d) Denying PolyMet any mining rights in Minnesota until it or any other mining company can show proof of safe mining by reverse osmosis in any place outside of Minnesota. (Category: Natural Resources and the Environment)
I live, farm & grew up in that part of Beltrami County that is included in the Eighth Congressional district. The district includes the location proposed Polymet mine, and the only intact (non-experimentally reintroduced) population of the recently Federally Endangered Gray Wolf. A strong minority of people in the district, when polled by PPP, supported copper sulfide mining proposals, and many politicians and lobbyists regularly exaggerate the level of support for sulfide mining in the district.
Area blogger and DFL activist Aaron Brown has written about the potential for controversy over the Polymet mine proposal at the state convention (in the context of the recent & SNAFU'ed CD 8 convention)
My hope is that the scenery and the stereotyped generous, thoughtful & placid nature of Minnesotans will win out over greed, fear and confusion so that we have a successful debate and decision on these and other contentious resolutions. It's the work our friends and neighbors have sent us to Duluth to do.