This spring, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison created the Advisory Task Force on Future of Minnesota’s Water. This Task Force aims to study issues affecting the stewardship of Minnesota’s water resources, explore best practices, and collaborate to develop a broad set of recommendations for policymakers and regulators, advocacy groups and business leaders, communities, and individuals. Additionally, the Task Force will compile a report detailing its findings and proposed solutions.
The Task Force is designed as a bipartisan group, bringing together members from all corners of the state to represent a wide range of communities, interests, and expertise surrounding water issues. Recognized for her deep knowledge and dedication to safeguarding Minnesota’s water, Peg Furshong of CURE was recently appointed as a Member of the Public to this Advisory Task Force.
“As we think about water and the challenges we face in Minnesota to be better stewards through our interactions with our natural and working lands, I look forward to being part of the Attorney General’s Advisory Task Force on the Future of Minnesota’s Water,” said Furshong. She continued, “Being proactive when it comes to addressing issues and developing new partnerships that will balance the competing interests around water and support our legacy for future generations is essential.”
Peg is CURE’s Director of Constituent Relations and Special Projects and has been with the organization since 2012. Throughout this time, she has led CURE’s water work under the Natural & Working Lands Program and organizes work around the carbon pipeline resistance. Peg focuses on building relationships with members and providing educational and experiential opportunities. She was also appointed by Gov. Dayton to the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission for District 3, where she advises on Legacy funding in greater Minnesota. Peg has a deep connection to our state’s waters and tallgrass prairies and currently resides on a small farm in rural Renville County.
Water has always been at the heart of CURE’s work, and the challenges surrounding water do not exist in isolation; they are deeply tied to larger systems that shape our economy, communities, and everyday lives. Because of this reality, over the years, CURE has grown and adapted to address the critical nexus of climate, energy, and water through a lens of democratic power. As such, CURE is encouraged the formation of an Attorney General’s Task Force that aims to foster collaboration and generate innovative ideas to address water stewardship challenges, ensuring sustainable management of the state’s vital water resources for future generations.
All Task Force meetings will be livestreamed and are open to the public as well as members of the media. More information can be found on the Task Force’s webpage.
Task Force Members:
Lawmakers
- DFL Representative Kristi Pursell, District 58A
- GOP Representative Isaac Schultz, District 10B
- DFL Senator Ann Johnson Stewart, District 45
- GOP Senator Keri Heintzeman, District 6
State Agency Representatives
- Jess Richards, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Brad Jordahl Redlin, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Myra Kunas, Minnesota Department of Health
- Dana Vanderbosch, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Members of the Public
- Kelly Applegate, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
- Will Bement, White Earth Reservation
- Darin Broton, Minnesota AgriGrowth
- Erick Francis, City of St. Louis Park
- Peg Furshong, CURE
- Caroline Griffith, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
- David Leuthe, Retired Water Resource Manager
- Angela M. Lipelt, Mower County
- Julie Lucas, MiningMinnesota
- Neva Maxwell, Cook County
- Jeff Pagel, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation
- Tessa Parks, W.T. Farms and Clean River Partners
- Nancy Schuldt, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Lienne Sethna, PhD, Science Museum of Minnesota’s St. Croix Watershed Research Station
- Professor Harvey Thorleifson, University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering
