Home | Reducing carbon pollution from transportation
Transportation greenhouse gas emissions legislation
From 2023 to 2025, Minnesota lawmakers made changes to state laws to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.
The key changes include:
- Setting a goal for the state to reach "net zero" emissions by the year 2050. That means balancing the amount of emissions released with the amount that can be removed from the air.
- Requiring the Commissioner of Transportation to create targets for reducing emissions from cars, trucks and other transportation sources.
- Making road projects that increase vehicle capacity take steps to offset the emissions and extra driving those projects may cause.
Reaching Minnesota’s emissions goal
To reduce the impacts of climate change, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) set goals for lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2025, 2030, 2035 and 2040. These goals appear in the Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan and support the Minnesota’s Climate Action Framework and the state law goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The new state law requiring transportation emissions performance targets, helps the state track progress towards those overall goals more clearly.
What it means for our partners
Many strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions give people more ways to travel, help clean the air, and improve quality of life. These projects might include building electric vehicle charging stations, making it easier to walk and bike on local roads, or planning for new businesses and shops in town centers near where people live.
Transportation partners
Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), regional development organizations (RDOs) and area transportation partnerships (ATPs) play a key role in implementing this law.
- MPOs, RDOs and ATPs choose which projects get funding.
- MPOs, RDOs and ATPs can support the law by funding projects like bike lanes, public transit, land use plans and electric vehicle infrastructure. They also work with local governments to prioritize projects that lower emissions and improve safety, health, the economy and access.
- The law required the Commissioner of Transportation to set a target for the Metropolitan Council’s seven-county planning area. The Commissioner also set targets for 16 other regions of the state. MPOs, RDOs and ATPs will work with MnDOT to meet the emissions reduction targets and state goals.
Tribes
We will collaborate with Minnesota’s Advocacy Council for Tribal Transportation, to hear how Minnesota’s 11 Tribal Nations want to be involved in carrying out the law.
The public
Local governments and communities play a big role in reducing emissions. People can encourage and ask their community leaders to support and fund projects that reduce emissions, improve air quality and provide more travel options.