Alliance members are working to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius by reducing emissions, accelerating action, centering equity, and tracking progress. 

Explore Minnesota's policies and actions across the Alliance's 10 key policy areas. Numbers presented below only reflect the number of policies in this database and thus may not reflect all climate policies pursued.

minnesota

GHG Targets + Governance

Just Transition + Equity

Industry

Pricing Carbon + Valuing Damages

Electricity

Transportation

Resilience

Natural + Working Lands

Climate Finance

Buildings

total

216C.331 Energy Benchmarking

This Minnesota bill establishes a statewide energy benchmarking program for large commercial, public, and multifamily buildings (50,000+ sq ft) in select areas. It requires building owners to annually report energy usage using the EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager or an equivalent tool. Utilities must provide aggregated energy data to assist with compliance. The goal is to inform owners, tenants, and the public about building energy performance, encourage efficiency improvements, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and publicly disclose building energy scores. The program includes exemptions, enforcement mechanisms, and coordination with local benchmarking programs.

Emerging Farmers in Minnesota Legislative Report 2020

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture convened six Emerging Farmers Listening Sessions during the fall of 2019. These sessions' aim was to advance the success and sustainability of farmers who traditionally face barriers to the education and resources necessary to build profitable agricultural businesses, including immigrant farmers and farmers of color.

They gathered information regarding issues that Minnesota emerging farmers are experiencing and brainstormed potential solutions to effectively transform the issues discussed. This information was presented to the Minnesota Legislature as the Emerging Farmers in Minnesota Legislative Report, 2020 (PDF).

Minnesota's Large Building Energy Benchmarking program is a statewide program aimed at increasing energy efficiency, decreasing operating costs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. This program requires owners of large commercial and multifamily properties 50,000 square feet and larger to submit whole-building energy use data to the state.

Large Building Energy Benchmarking Program

buildings

MPCA awards more than $1 million to help Tribes in Minnesota plan and fund environmental projects

To help Tribal governments in Minnesota take on more projects aimed at improving environmental quality, the MPCA recently awarded three contractors a total of more than $1 million in technical assistance grants. The goal of the technical assistance grant program, Kesner noted, is to connect Tribes with experienced professionals who can support the Tribes in securing funding for environmental and climate change-related projects by identifying new funding opportunities, writing grant applications for those opportunities, and managing those grants.

When purchasing a motor vehicle for the enterprise fleet or for use by an agency, the commissioner or the agency shall purchase the motor vehicle according to the following vehicle preference order:

- an electric vehicle;
- a hybrid electric vehicle;
- a vehicle capable of being powered by cleaner fuels; and
- a vehicle powered by gasoline or diesel fuel.