St. Paul, MN – On Sunday evening the Minnesota legislature finished the final actions of the 2024 session capping off a biennium marked by major steps forward on climate action, clean energy, transit, and sustainable land use policy.
At the start of 2023 the North Star Chapter’s volunteer leadership established an ambitious agenda: to ensure Minnesota does our part to address the climate crisis with real solutions; to build sustainable and just communities; and to protect Minnesota’s natural lands and water.
As a result of our collective efforts with many partners and legislative champions to advance climate action and climate justice, Minnesota is on the path to a more sustainable future.
- Our electricity will be carbon free by 2040.
- Our air will be cleaner thanks to new requirements to limit pollution in communities that have been unfairly burdened by the cumulative impacts of industrial emissions.
- Access to jobs, housing, education, and other opportunities will improve thanks to funding to build a more reliable and efficient transit system.
Major actions in the 2024 session included:
- The “comprehensive planning clarity” bill will allow cities to increase housing density on already-developed land, while preserving the integrity of the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act.
- Solar APP+ and Solar Interconnection will accelerate the state's transition to solar energy by making it easier for cities and individuals to connect to the grid.
- The Networked Geothermal Pilot explores climate-friendly heating and cooling solutions, offering opportunities to reduce carbon footprints and enhance energy efficiency.
- Clean energy permitting reform will accelerate the development of clean energy infrastructure, while preserving public input and engagement.
The Sierra Club applauds the leadership of the DFL Representatives and Senators who stood strong for our communities and planet.
“Elections have consequences, and there is no greater proof than the accomplishments of this biennium. Between last year’s victories (the 100% Bill, the Omnibus Transportation Bill, and the Omnibus Environment and Energy Bill) and the progress we have made in 2024 on land use reform and clean energy, I have never been more hopeful that we could finally do our part in Minnesota to address the climate crisis,” said Peter Wagenius, the North Star Chapter’s Legislative and Political Director.
"Thanks to the hard work of Sierra Club supporters and our allies, we secured commitments to 100% carbon-free energy by 2040, expedited clean energy projects, equitable community solar access, and innovative thermal energy networks to heat and cool our homes without fossil gas. Together, these policies will reduce carbon pollution, mitigate negative health impacts, and save us money on our energy bills," said Patty O'Keefe, Senior Field Strategist for the Minnesota Sierra Club.
"The 2024 Minnesota Legislature has improved and enhanced the many great programs which were passed in 2023 to fight climate change. Minnesota has taken a leading role in this fight and the rest of the nation needs to follow," said John Krenn, the North Star Chapter’s Legislative Chair.
More about our priorities this session, and results:
Land use reform to address the climate and housing crises - We supported a package of bills to address the housing problem and reduce climate pollution by stopping metropolitan sprawl which forces people to drive longer distances and destroys habitat and natural carbon sequestration. Some of the bills in that package were blocked, but the bill to clarify cities’ comprehensive planning will allow cities to increase housing density on already-developed land while preserving the integrity of the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act. Read more here.
Building decarbonization - The Networked Geothermal Pilot explores climate-friendly heating and cooling solutions, offering opportunities to reduce carbon footprints and enhance energy efficiency. A Thermal Resource Standard is the next step to address climate emissions from buildings. It would require gas utilities, like CenterPoint, to reduce emissions, just like the 100% law does for electric utilities. We are building a strong coalition and will continue to work on this issue in 2025.
Clean energy permitting - To accelerate the transition to clean energy and especially to get the biggest possible impact from the clean energy investments from the federal Inflation Reduction Act, we need to speed up permitting of clean technologies like solar panels, wind turbines and the electrical transmission grid to handle more clean electricity. We worked to stop provisions that were added in the Senate Energy Committee that would have opened the door to fossil fuels and speculative technologies.
Environmental justice and clean energy - The Solar Interconnection Bill streamlines the process of connecting solar systems to the grid, and the Automatic Solar Permitting Bill (Solar APP+) simplifies permitting procedures, reducing delays and administrative burdens to make solar energy more accessible.
The Sierra Club played a supporting role in passage of the cumulative impacts bill in 2023, following the leadership of environmental justice organizations. This law requires the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to conduct a cumulative impacts analysis for polluting facilities in or nearby impacted communities.
The Ratepayer Protection Act ensures investor owned utilities aren’t spending customer’s money on political influence activities that oftentimes promote the prolonged use of fossil fuels. This bill was blocked in the Senate and will be a multi year effort.
Climate impact of highways - In 2023, we supported passage of a policy to enhance the “climate impact of highways” bill passed in 2023, that will require the Minnesota Department of Transportation to adhere to statewide goals to reduce both vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions. Language adopted in 2024 will expand the policy and apply the requirement to all major highways.
Carbon and habitat reserve - The bill to establish a Lowland Carbon and Habitat Reserve would protect peatland bogs and old growth forests which sequester carbon and provide unique wildlife habitat by establishment of a land reserve. The bill was blocked in the Senate, but funding was allocated for a study that is now being conducted by the University of Minnesota. The bill will be reintroduced in 2025.
Zero waste platform - As a co-founder of the Zero Waste Coalition, Sierra Club supports a platform of policies to generate less waste, and reduce need for virgin materials, trash burning and landfills. The Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act was passed and will establish producer responsibility for packaging to reduce it upstream. Bills including the 100% Electronic Waste bill would establish recycling programs to responsibly manage electronic waste, minimizing environmental and health risks associated with improper disposal, and we expect this legislation to be re-introduced next year.
In addition to the priorities above, volunteer-led teams supported ongoing legislative efforts including Prove it First, which would establish a moratorium on toxic sulfide mining; a bill to reduce environmental damage from Off Road Vehicles, a ban on hunting and trapping of wolves, and establishment of a public waters inventory to increase protection for our waterways.
Defense
Polluting industries like Big Oil and the ethanol industry are stepping up their efforts to maintain their profits and delay real climate solutions by pushing false climate solutions.
Ethanol, Pipelines & “Clean Fuels” - The proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), currently referred to as a “Clean Transportation Standard” would have extended outdated technologies like ethanol and likely increased climate pollution for many years. Sierra Club worked with allied organizations to block the proposed fuel standard. Undoubtedly, some of those advocating for an LCFS have the best intentions. But powerful oil and ethanol interests want a LCFS for the worst reasons. They have a common business plan to incentivize both more ethanol and a proposed network of pipelines to carry carbon dioxide (CO2) from ethanol plants to North Dakota where the CO2 will be used to push more oil out of the ground. The proposed fuel standard is inextricably linked to ethanol and pipeline plans.
Organizing for our legislative agenda
It takes everyone’s help pitching in to influence decisions at the State Capitol! Here are some of the ways we are moving our agenda forward, and defending against false solutions:
- Members met with legislators at the Capitol, in their districts and at “town hall” events.
- Through regular phone banks, we made sure legislators were hearing from their constituents about urgent environmental issues.
- We authored organizational sign on letters, and joined letters initiated by partners.
- Staff and volunteer leaders gave testimony at over ten Committee hearings throughout session.
- Media covered our priorities and printed Sierra Club leaders’ Letters to the Editor, opinion columns and other advocacy communications.
- The Sierra Club co-sponsored and participated in lobby days and rallies throughout the session including: Rise and Repair, Zero Waste, Bike/Walk Summit, Wolf Day at the Capitol, Pesticide Day on the Hill, Prove it First, and more.
- Supporters contacted their legislators through email action alerts – an easy opportunity to contact legislators at crucial points in the process.
Thank you to everyone who showed up and made their voices heard.