Minnesota pollution agency releases framework for action against climate change
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released its 2026 Climate Action Framework on Wednesday.
The move updates the previous framework, which was originally launched in 2022. The agency says the update was developed with input from businesses and local governments across the North Star State.
MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler said the framework is needed as climate change is already having an impact.
“The urgency is real. People across the state are seeing the impacts of climate change around us. Warmer winters, fewer days of lake ice, whether it’s poor air quality that keeps you inside in the summer, or more intense rain events that cause flooding and other problems on infrastructure.”
The agency says nearly nine in 10 communities in Minnesota have reported experiencing the impacts of climate change. The state has distributed $95 million over two years to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate.
The framework also outlines the priorities to reduce climate pollution and prepare for a changing climate:
- a continued push to implement 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040
- accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and reducing transportation emissions
- lowering emissions from heating our buildings
- sustained funding for infrastructure updates and disaster response
- reducing agriculture emissions while restoring peatlands and sustainably managing forests
- strong financing strategies for the transition to clean energy
The framework also offers 400 actions the agency wants the state to take in order to combat climate change:
- clean transportation
- climate-smart natural and working lands
- resilient communities
- clean energy
- healthy lives and communities
- clean economy
- efficient and resilient building
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