Katie Knudson, climate director at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, told the Environmental Quality Board on Sept. 17 that the state is in the final months of updating its Climate Action Framework and will publish a full draft for public comment this fall. The draft will include a new round of public engagement, updated goal areas (increasing from six to seven), and greenhouse gas emissions modeling funded by the state legislature and federal grants to test policy pathways toward statutory targets.
The update matters because Minnesota has statutory emissions targets that the framework is meant to help meet: a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Knudson said the framework is intended to marry three priorities'carbon neutrality, resilience and equity'and to lay out programs, policies and projects that together can move the state closer to those goals.
Knudson summarized the public-engagement and drafting process to date. The state published its first Climate Action Framework in September 2022 and pursued extensive engagement since last fall including sector-based conversations, an "ideas for climate action" document in winter 2024, a draft action steps document in June 2025, and over 200 public comments on the draft. The interagency climate subcabinet of 17 agencies and boards has contributed to drafting, and the PCA has been coordinating additional outreach to tribal environmental staff and local governments. Knudson said the 2025 greenhouse gas inventory (published in January) shows emissions remain below 2019 levels but that significant additional reductions are required to meet statutory goals.
Knudson described three modeling approaches included in the update: modeling of current policies, a least-cost "net-zero pathway" forced to achieve net-zero by 2050, and a "potential policy" pathway that tests a bottom-up set of additional strategies that would require more research, funding or legislative action. The modeling will include sensitivity runs that reflect federal policy shifts (for example, changes to vehicle emissions or power-sector regulations) and will produce emissions and economic-impact projections to help evaluate tradeoffs.
Board members asked for examples of where public buy-in and pushback have appeared in the engagement process. Knudson said broad public interest and support for state leadership on climate action has been consistent, with particular enthusiasm for co-benefits such as cleaner indoor air, expanded transit options and energy-efficiency gains. Commissioner Kessler and others noted tensions arising from limited public budgets and changing federal policy, but also said the new modeling tool is responding to a frequent request from stakeholders: "If we do X, how close do we get?". Board member Smith asked where the most buy-in or pushback had appeared; Knudson said the answer varies by sector but that coordination with local governments and an extended equity-focused discussion had been notable.
Discussion at the meeting also addressed sector-specific matters. Chair Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation and EQB chair, emphasized that transportation is the largest source of state emissions and pointed to a target in the statewide multimodal plan to reduce per-capita vehicle miles traveled 20 percent by 2050 as one pathway to reduce transportation emissions. Board member Martin asked about the building sector; Knudson said the updated framework treats "efficient and resilient buildings" as a discrete goal area with actions ranging from implementing recent building-code upgrades to supporting weatherization, multifamily housing strategies and thermal-energy systems.
Knudson closed by urging board members and the public to review the forthcoming draft and participate in the fall public comment period. She said the framework update will return to the board for further discussion after the draft is released and that agencies will use the modeling results and public input to refine implementation priorities.