Metropolitan Council staff on Aug. 27 presented an 80% draft of a regional comprehensive climate action plan being prepared under a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant that runs from 2023 to 2027. The council heard details of the greenhouse gas inventory, proposed reduction measures and planned public engagement.

Peter Wilfert, presenting the inventory component, said staff have produced a greenhouse gas inventory through 2022 and are projecting emissions to 2050. He said transportation is the largest emissions sector in the inventory and that the plan expands beyond the council’s seven-county jurisdiction to an 11-county metropolitan statistical area, adding Sherburne and Chisago counties and parts of Saint Croix and Pierce counties in Wisconsin to align with EPA definitions.

Jillian Greenberg reviewed engagement and implementation elements, including a steering committee of 13 city, county and tribal staff, a community climate collaboration that engaged about 100 workshop participants and nearly 190 interviewees, and a workforce work group that is coordinating with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Greenberg said the plan contains sector-by-sector greenhouse gas reduction measures, a benefits analysis, implementing authorities, funding options and workforce analysis.

Staff described tools that will accompany the plan: a greenhouse gas emissions reduction tool to scale regional data to city, township and county levels, and a climate action toolkit planned for rollout in 2026. The council was told the public comment period on the 90% draft will run Sept. 25–Oct. 17, a final draft will be returned to the council on Nov. 12 for authorization to submit to EPA, and the comprehensive climate action plan is due to EPA by Dec. 1. Council members asked about interim goals, funding data sources, the communications plan and workforce needs; staff said more detailed workforce analysis will be included in the 90% draft and DEED is providing research support.

Council members welcomed the emphasis on translating plan content into tools for local governments to use during their next comprehensive-plan cycles. No formal council action was taken; staff requested council feedback and will return with a 90% draft for review and public comment.