Metropolitan Council releases 90% regional climate action plan for public comment

The Metropolitan Council on Nov. 24 voted to release its 90% draft regional comprehensive climate action plan for public comment, opening a comment period from Sept. 25, 2025, through Oct. 17, 2025.

Peter Wilford, a researcher in the council’s Community Development division, and Julian Greenberg, a senior climate planner, presented the draft and said it builds on the council’s 2024 priority climate action plan, Imagine 2050 and the community climate collaboration. “We are now back with our complete 90% draft that we are asking to approve for public comment,” Wilford said.

The draft includes a greenhouse‑gas inventory covering an 11‑county region, business‑as‑usual emission projections to 2050 and quantified reduction targets by sector tied to potential state policy pathways, Wilford said. Staff said the analysis reflects state statutes—among them the 2040 clean energy statute—and federal program assumptions that influence the projected pathway to net zero.

Julian Greenberg summarized the plan’s workforce analysis, which the council said was prepared in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Greenberg said DEED estimates there are more than 182,000 workers in industries connected to climate action in the region and that the clean‑energy sector alone accounts for about 39,000 workers. “There are robust training programs that this analysis explores to help workers get into fields that support the climate and clean jobs in the region,” Greenberg said.

Councilmembers pressed staff for further detail on how emissions are categorized and how local governments will use the plan. Council Member Chambliss asked for a clearer breakout of residential versus commercial and industrial emissions, saying, “It would be nice to see how much of the emissions are residential.” Council Member Johnson asked how local units of government will plug into the work and when staff would provide tools and workshops to assist municipal planning.

Staff said a public‑comment web page and a comment form would go live the day after the meeting and described the outreach as targeted because the draft is technical; they said more accessible tools and technical assistance will be released separately, with a full version of the council’s greenhouse‑gas tool expected in January.

The council’s vote to open the comment period came after the presentation and discussion. Council Member Diego Morales moved to open the comment period; Council Member Abhisakan seconded. The motion carried by voice vote.

Next steps listed by staff include the public comment period (Sept. 25–Oct. 17), additional stakeholder workshops, refinement of emissions and workforce data and a return to the council on Nov. 12 when staff would seek authorization to submit the plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant review.

Funding and legal context: staff said the work is tied to the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant planning program and to Minnesota’s state climate policy framework. The presentation acknowledged additional methodological refinements were expected before final submission.