New Report Demonstrates Urgent Need for Clean Heat in Minnesota

St. Paul, MN – A new report released by Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice demonstrates the climate, health, and environmental justice concerns posed by outdoor air pollution from buildings, a source that is largely overlooked and unregulated.

“The Outdoor Pollution Is Coming From Inside The House: National Building Pollution Report” compiles data from across government and expert sources showing the extent of the harm caused to people and the climate from fossil fuel burning space and water heating equipment like HVAC systems, furnaces, boilers, and water heaters. 

The report highlights that the majority of U.S. buildings still burn fossil fuels to power heating equipment, and the pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels in our homes and buildings disproportionately burdens vulnerable populations including children, the elderly, low-income communities, communities of color, renters, and individuals with pre-existing conditions.

In Minnesota, fossil fuel combustion contributes significantly the state’s total emissions and affects Minnesotans’ health and environment:

• The buildings sector, comprised of the residential and commercial sectors, consumes 49.4% of all gas in the state. 
• Burning fossil fuels in the buildings sector produced 31 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2018 – the equivalent to the annual emissions from nearly 6.7 million cars or 8 coal plants. This is 26% of the total emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the state.
• The residential sector includes over 2.2 million homes, 63% of which use gas for space heating and 56% of which use gas for water heating.
• 43% of adults and 35% of children with asthma report gas cooking is an asthma trigger in Minnesota.

“Pollution from buildings has been largely ignored by regulators. The gas industry has continued to expand in Minnesota, connecting more homes and buildings to the gas system, despite being more costly than clean heat sources, like wind, solar, battery storage, and energy efficiency. Fueling our homes and buildings with gas is a large contributor to climate pollution as well as indoor air pollution. It is a public health issue at both the individual and collective level. Powering our homes with clean heat sources is a crucial component of combating climate change and its innumerable adverse impacts,” said Kristoffer Acuña, Climate and Clean Energy Organizer at Sierra Club.

This fall, CenterPoint customers will have a chance to weigh in on the future of the gas system by commenting on the utility’s Innovation Plan at the Public Utilities Commission. CenterPoint’s plan consists of many pilots that are supposed to transition the utility off gas. Advocates and concerned community members will be calling for real and affordable decarbonization ideas, like electrification and efficiency, as opposed to an over emphasis on hydrogen and renewable natural gas, which utilities hope will extend the life of the gas distribution system. 

“We’re at a turning point with how we harvest and use energy in Minnesota,” said Margaret Levin, Sierra Club -  North Star Chapter Director. “There will be many upcoming decisions on how our utilities will transition off gas in order to meet or exceed Minnesota’s climate goals. With incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, it has never been easier or more economical for our utility companies to transition to clean energy. Minnesota has the opportunity to be a leader in getting gas out of our homes and buildings.”

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