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Minnesota Greenhouse Gas Reduction Legislation: Target Setting
Background
The Minnesota Legislature passed a series of updates to state statute in 2023 and 2024 to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.These changes include the update of the goals to reach net zero GHG emissions by 2050 from 2005 levels in Statute 216.H.02 and requires the Commissioner of Transportation to set emission reduction targets specifically for the transportation sector in Statute 174.01 subd. 3.
Target setting criteria
The revised 2024 law directs the transportation commissioner to set targets by Feb. 1, 2025, and provides specific guidance. The Commissioner of Transportation must establish targets for the statewide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal under section 216H.02.
The targets must include:
- establishment of proportional emissions reduction performance targets for the transportation sector;
- specification of the performance targets on a five-year or more frequent basis; and
- allocation across the transportation sector, which:
- must provide for an allocation to the metropolitan area, as defined in section 473.121, subd. 2
- must account for differences in the feasibility and extent of emissions reductions across forms of land use and across regions of the state
- may include performance targets based on Department of Transportation district, geographic region, a per capita calculation, or transportation mode, or a combination
Target setting process
In response to the legislative requirements, MnDOT staff have worked to develop a scope of work, engage with partners internally and externally, choose an approach to evaluating the feasibility of various approaches, gather input and feedback from partners and draft recommended targets. There have been 33 engagements with external partners and 22 engagements with internal partners since April 2024.
Transportation Sector emissions
Minnesota’s Transportation Sector emissions include 12 contributors. Each of these contributors can be assigned to surface transportation or non-surface transportation. Approaching these two subsector areas will be done differently. Surface transportation emissions can be allocated regionally, while Non-surface Transportation emissions are better suited to be allocated statewide and coordinated with our industry partners.
Surface Transportation emissions contributors
- Buses
- Medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks
- Light-duty trucks
- Motorcycles
- Passenger cars
- Recreational vehicles (RVs)
- Air conditioning emissions from on-road vehicles
- Off-highway vehicles (e.g., snowmobiles, alternative terrain vehicles, military vehicles)
Non-surface Transportation emissions contributors
- Aviation
- Marine (e.g., ports, waterways)
- Natural gas transmission (e.g., off-gassing of natural gas pipelines for maintenance purposes)
- Railroad
Opportunities to learn more
As targets are set before the Feb. 1, 2025 deadline, MnDOT will continue to engage with transportation partners around the state in the coming months to make sure they are aware of the new greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and to coordinate the next steps towards implementing reduction strategies and policies.