Council concurs with citizens' call for climate action - Mankato Free Press

Council concurs with citizens' call for climate action | Local News | mankatofreepress.com

MANKATO — In a week where Minnesota and other northern states were choked by wildfire smoke and southern states baked under an extreme heat wave, a local environmental group gave a polite but firm prod to the Mankato City Council.

“We are asking the city to step up its game,” Katy Wortel said. “You are a leader in the region.”

Wortel, who is in her fifth decade of fighting battles on behalf of clean air and water, was the cleanup hitter in a quartet of representatives from the Southcentral Minnesota Clean Energy Council.

Lou Schwartzkopf, a retired Minnesota State University physics professor, led off, laying out the scientific background on the causes and effects of climate change and the efforts underway to lessen the centuries-long ramifications of burning fossil fuels.

“The only solution is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to zero,” Schwartzkopf said, listing some of the reduction goals being pursued via global initiatives and by the state of Minnesota.

“The city of Mankato has to step up, too,” he said.

Jody Swanson, a longtime CPA, spoke of the efforts by the city of Albert Lea, where the willingness of municipal leaders to adopt a 120-page climate change action plan in 2021 helped convince a corporate CEO to locate a factory there to build components for electric vehicle chargers.

“He knew he could build the partnerships he needed to make his factory successful,” Swanson said, noting there were 400 applications for the factory’s first 50 jobs when it opened last year. “The workforce is excited about it. The community is excited about it.”

Swanson said a community’s climate action plan essentially sets goals and measures progress: “Where are we? Where do we want to go? And how do we measure when we get there?”

Albert Lea's plan stretches over 120 pages.

Sabri Fair, whose role with the Region Nine Development Commission includes promoting a more sustainable economy in south-central Minnesota, provided examples of climate action underway in Duluth and Winona. And Fair said efforts at the local level can lead to a sense of empowerment among individuals even in the face of a worldwide challenge.

“It inspires the rest of us to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves,” he said.

When Wortel wrapped up the presentation, she did it with plenty of requests for action by the city of Mankato. Create the action plan; take advantage of a plethora of federal grants available for shifting to sustainable energy; look for ways to use heat pumps for heating and cooling of municipal facilities; design green buildings when planning new construction; be more aggressive in converting the city fleet to electric vehicles; and form a sustainability committee to help guide the work.

“We would like to pledge our help wherever we can,” Wortel said.

Most of the council reacted positively to the requests.

“I can hear the passion,” Mayor Najwa Massad said.

Council member Jessica Hatanpa wondered if heat pumps would be feasible at a large building like the civic center arena, where an aging boiler is on its last legs.

Council member Kevin Mettler noted he had previously met with the group and thanked them for their work, while Michael McLaughlin suggested that the efforts by cities such as Albert Lea, Winona and Duluth should give Mankato a headstart in creating a plan of its own.

Jenn Melby-Kelley said the presentation helps the council to not lose sight of the fact that change is possible: “We can actually make a difference and it’s good for us to be reminded of that.”

And Council President Mike Laven said he wanted to avoid the temptation of putting off action on an action plan until later in the year when the council is set to begin establishing its next long-term strategic plan.

“We need to get going,” Laven said.

But to take the substantial steps being suggested would require more staff time than the overstretched municipal administration is currently able to offer, said City Manager Susan Arntz.

“We are not operationally staffed to take this work on,” Arntz said, adding that the council might have to authorize funds to hire a consultant when a municipal budget is approved in December.

That said, Arntz recognized the council’s clear support for the suggestions made by the Clean Energy Council and said she will schedule the topic for a follow-up meeting in advance of future budget workshops.

“Then we can build a plan for what it’s going to take and what it’s going to cost,” she said.

Massad suggested that the council, while not excessively impatient, is eager.

“We’re not asking this to be overnight,” she said. “But whatever it takes, we want to do it.”