The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency plans to use a federal grant to help make sure the state’s climate strategies will benefit lower-income communities.
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program is a $5 billion federal program under the Inflation Reduction Act. It provides states and metro areas with funding to draft, update or evaluate climate action plans, as well as access to competitive grants for implementing elements of those plans.
Minnesota has been planning for climate change longer than most states. In 2007, the legislature adopted a goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 80% between 2005 and 2050. In recent years, the administration of Gov. Tim Walz has developed a plan called the Minnesota Climate Action Framework that includes strategies for achieving that goal and other targets.
Since then, Minnesota’s overall carbon emissions have declined 23%, and regulators reported in February that the state is on pace to hit an interim goal of reducing emissions by 30% by 2025. Questions and challenges remain, though, as power plant emissions fall and transportation, agriculture, forestry and land use account for a larger share of emissions.
“The funds are an opportunity for us to do some additional engagement and analysis that will help us build on that core framework and explore opportunities beyond what we ve already put together,” said Amanda Jarrett Smith, climate unit supervisor for the Pollution Control Agency.
