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 important first step by passing a “Cumulative Impacts” law that protects vulnerable communities from getting more than their fair share of pollution from 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.
However, this law left out one of the biggest sources of pollution Minnesota communities face: highways.
The proposed legislation would fix this gap by requiring the Minnesota Department of Transportation to study 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 their plans to reduce the negative effects or create an 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 isn’t unfairly placed on those who are the least resilient to it, fostering responsible transportation investments that consider both climate and environmental justice. It’s about creating a fairer, healthier Minnesota where your zip code doesn’t determine whether you and your children have to breathe polluted air or live next to a major highway project that harms your health and quality of life.
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 include major highway projects (as defined by project cost) that run through environmental justice communities.
- Creating a new regulation that requires the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to conduct a similar cumulative impacts process for major highway projects that run through environmental justice communities.
Creating an Environmental Justice Ombudsperson 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.
Ask your legislators to protect environmental justice communities.
Take action and contact decision-makers.