Can anything be done to address the extreme weather events Minnesota and the rest of the upper Midwest have faced as consequences of climate changes?
The Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus previewed an ambitious action plan Wednesday in a morning press conference.
From a Caucus press release summarizing the plan:
Today, House DFL leaders and legislators released the 2022 Minnesota Climate Action Plan, which invests $1 billion in addressing the climate crisis. This bold, science-based plan, developed by members of the Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus, will protect the environment and our health, help Minnesotans save money, and create good-paying jobs.
“We must address the climate crisis and ensure Minnesotans have clean air, water, and soil for years to come,” said Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL - Minnetonka), chair of the Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus. “Today, we’re introducing a science-based, multi-sector plan that will help build a healthy climate and sustainable future for the next generation of Minnesotans, while helping current residents save money and creating good-paying jobs. There is more work to be done, but this bold plan is a step towards a better future.” . . .
Here's the Minnesota House Information Services YouTube of the press conference:
A factsheet accompanied the press release:
Minnesota Climate Action Plan uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd
Forum News Service government reporter Alex Derosier writes in Minnesota House DFL proposes spending $1B of surplus on climate plan:
Minnesota House Democrats are proposing the state use $1 billion of its projected, record-breaking $7.7 billion budget surplus for a wide range of legislation aimed at curbing the effects of human-caused climate change.
At a news conference Wednesday, Jan. 19, the House Climate Action Caucus previewed its proposals for the 2022 session, which include hundreds of millions of investment in renewable energy, clean transportation and weatherization for homes. The caucus also says the proposal will create jobs, particularly through its home energy efficiency programs.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor-backed climate proposal is made up of about individual 30 bills that will move through the Legislature. However, with a Republican-controlled Senate, it's likely many of the bills will face an uphill battle.
Caucus Chair Patty Acomb, DFL-Minnetonka, said 2021 was yet another year of extreme weather events offering a preview of the climate in years to come unless lawmakers take bold action on the environment.
“In the last year in Minnesota, we have seen our changing climate play out in severe droughts that impacted our entire state, a record heat wave (and) the summer of smoke that came from wildfires,” she told reporters. “We witnessed tornadoes in December that have never happened in our state before.” . . .
As it stands, the proposal calls for $150 million in additional funding for the state's Weatherization Assistance Program, though the single largest item in the proposal is $200 million for four bus rapid transit lines. The plan calls for $50 million for public transportation in Greater Minnesota and $1 million for further study of passenger rail routes to Duluth and in southern parts of the state.
The proposal drew applause from Minnesota environmental organizations, who said the investments could result in immediate and long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and improvements to general quality of life in the state. The top Republican on the Minnesota House’s Climate and Energy Committee described the proposed legislation as a “misguided" wish list that would fail to deliver on its promise of lower energy costs.
“Democrats already forced us to conform to California’s automobile standards ...” Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, said in a statement. “Now they want to spend tax dollars studying expensive new boondoggle trains in Greater Minnesota. It's just another example of Democrats pushing metro-centric policies that will raise costs for every Minnesota family."
The Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy nonprofit that advocates for utility customers in Minnesota, welcomed the proposed expansion of the weatherization program.
“With about 1 in 8 Minnesotans behind on their utility bills and the cost of heating fuels up this year, there is a big need for weatherization, particularly for older homes that weren’t built with energy efficiency as a priority,” said executive director Annie Levenson-Falk. “This will help people who need it to permanently reduce their energy costs and improve the health and comfort of their homes, while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions.” . . .
Read the rest at Forum newspapers.
The Minnesota Environmental Partnership sent us this press release about the plan:
Minnesota environmental community applauds Climate Action Caucus plan
State environmental organizations applauded the Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus’s proposed investments announced at this morning’s press conference. These comprehensive investments would result in immediate and long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and improvements in Minnesotans’ quality of life.
The Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP), the state’s largest coalition of environmental and conservation groups, stated that the proposals outlined by the Caucus are in line with its members’ priorities, the state’s environmental and economic needs, and the science that unequivocally states that the 2020s are the defining decade for addressing the climate crisis. According to MEP, these investments will pay for themselves through energy savings and stability for Minnesota’s natural resources.
"This proposal is a great step forward and an example of the scale of the actions Minnesota needs to take to respond to the climate crisis," said MEP Executive Director Steve Morse. "Climate disruptions are costing Minnesotans more and more each year, and we believe the smartest financial decision we can make is to go all in on a rapid shift from fossil fuels. We can either reap the rich rewards of decarbonization now, or pay the unthinkably steep price of inaction later."
"Minnesota should be a leader on climate justice, but we're falling short," said Margaret Levin, State Director for the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. "More and more Minnesotans are demanding real climate action, and this proposal expands on the strong vision put forth by House environmental champions last year. We look forward to seeing this package of investments reflected in the Governor’s forthcoming budget proposals."
"The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) applauds the House Climate Action caucus for crafting a strong proposal that ensures our soil, farmers, and rural communities thrive," said Deb Allan, Board Chair of LSP and retired soil scientist. "By bolstering the Soil Health Cost-Share program, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, commercialization of continuous living cover crops, and the Forever Green Initiative, we will see a tangible impact on the resiliency of our land and the health of our farmers and rural economies."
"It's great to see these proposed robust investments in new 'continuous living cover' agricultural systems that are good for farmers as well as for our rivers, lakes and clean drinking water for all," said Whitney Clark, Executive Director of Friends of the Mississippi River. "From the exciting development of new crops to growing stronger markets to sell the crops, this is an important down payment on the future of a more prosperous and sustainable agriculture in Minnesota."
"The investments in the House Climate Action Caucus budget proposal are important steps forward in the significant work Minnesota needs to do to reduce climate pollution and air pollution in the transportation sector," said Suzanne Sobotka, Policy and Research Director at Move Minnesota. "We are thrilled to see over $320M invested in transit, rail, biking, walking, and rolling in this proposal. We stand ready to advocate to make these historic investments a reality."
We'll be looking to see bill introductions that carry this agenda.
Photo: Corn plants showed signs of stress in a field near Hampton, Minn., in June 2021. Drought conditions spread across much of Minnesota. Andrew Krueger | MPR News.
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