Minnesotans know we must come together to take bold action against the existential threat of climate change, invest in a clean energy future, and guarantee the clean air and water that future generations of Minnesotans deserve. Our children and our grandchildren are counting on us to take action now, not down the road. This is an opportunity to create good-paying jobs, innovate, and make Minnesota a national leader. We will make a clean energy economy that works for everyone and make environmental justice a core value in all decision making.

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Clean energy

For too long, giant corporations have chosen to profit from harming our climate at the expense of average citizens and small businesses. We know we need to take bold action, together, to create a clean energy future with healthy communities, a healthy climate, and meaningful and dignified work for working Minnesotans. This bright future is possible if we enact the solutions available to us with the urgency they deserve. These include a just transition to clean energy, supporting sustainable agriculture, and providing good-paying jobs that are healthy for the climate and for our people.

Minnesota must do its share to reduce carbon emissions with a renewable energy goal of 100% by 2040. This plan includes provisions to help workers and communities affected by the transition while prioritizing local jobs and prevailing wages for large, new clean energy projects.

Clean air & water

Access to clean air and water is a right as fundamental as any other for Minnesotans. No one – regardless of race, income level, or zip code – should have to experience preventable health risks from breathing polluted air or drinking unsafe water. Yet it has been our communities of color and low-income communities who have paid the highest price for pollution and who will face the worst effects of climate change. From lead in the water to toxic air, we must take urgent and real action to keep all Minnesotans safe from pollution. 

Senate DFLers will continue to fight for clean car standards that will reduce emissions and protect Minnesotans from air pollution in every corner of the state. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans blocked DFL efforts last session to ban toxic chemicals, combat climate change by planting trees, expand protections for wildlife, encourage recycling, prevent road salt contamination, and ban the use of neonicotinoid insecticides. Minnesotans deserve better, and the choice is ours to take action towards a clean energy future. 

Clean jobs 

We need to create sustainable, local, good-paying jobs that give people the chance to put down roots and raise a family. It is just as important that while we are creating these green jobs, we are working to protect the health of our communities and our planet. 

Building out Minnesota’s electric vehicle infrastructure will create these good-paying jobs, reduce carbon emission, and boost the economy across the state, particularly for Minnesota’s rural electric cooperatives. More than 61,000 Minnesotans work in clean energy, with 40% of these jobs in Greater Minnesota. 

There are also opportunities to invest in transportation infrastructure that would both create jobs and reduce pollution. When done right, we could connect people to opportunities to improve their lives, while caring for the environment. We must set our country on a sustainable path that will rebuild our economy for the future.