Legislation

A comprehensive framework is necessary to move Minnesota forward in a way that can benefit our environment and economy, while also aiding our consumers and providers. That framework is the Clean Transportation Standard. 

Bill introduction and sponsors

  • The Clean Transportation Standard (CTS) bill was first introduced during the 2021 legislative session, when it received numerous hearings and passed the Minnesota House of Representatives. The bill was re-introduced in March 2023 as Senate File 2584 and House File 2602, and is under consideration by the Minnesota Legislature during the 2024 legislative session. It is sponsored by Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Scott Dibble and Representative Jeff Brand.

Background of the Clean Transportation Standard Legislation 

  • The 2023 Minnesota CTS bill would set a requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Minnesota’s transportation sector by at least 25 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2040. It would also set a goal to achieve a 100 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.  
  • The CTS bill establishes criteria for the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation to follow when developing the rule, including:
    • Provide benefits for communities, consumers, clean fuel providers, technology providers, and feedstock suppliers 
    • Support equitable transportation electrification powered primarily with low-carbon and carbon-free electricity that benefits all communities 
    • Improve air quality and public health, targeting communities that bear a disproportionate health burden from transportation pollution
    • Conduct outreach to stakeholders and communities that bear a disproportionate health burden from the transportation sector 
    • Protect natural lands and expand biodiversity 
    • Support state solid waste recycling goals by facilitating credit generation from renewable natural gas produced from organic waste 
    • Support voluntary efforts led by farmers to improve soil health and water quality in growing low-carbon clean fuel feedstocks 
    • Increase energy security by expanding the supply of domestically produced fuels 
    • Create broad rural and urban economic development 
  • The CTS is an efficient way to work toward reducing transportation fuel emissions in Minnesota through a technology-neutral, performance-based program.
  • This legislation will bring us closer to a clean energy future by reducing transportation fuel emissions in Minnesota and supporting electrification, low-carbon biofuels and renewable energy.

Why Minnesota and why now?

    • By acting now, Minnesota has the chance to lead the way in addressing climate change while supporting jobs and driving economic growth in the state’s rural communities.   
    • Unlike many pieces of energy legislation that focus on just one technology and define “winners” in terms of energy options, the CTS instead lets the market and innovation drive change. This leads to investment in a variety of alternative fuels, from electricity used in electric vehicles to sustainable aviation fuel to lower-carbon liquid fuels that reduce emissions from gas-powered vehicles already on the road. 
    • Minnesota has long been home to innovation in both policy and business leadership, and the CTS is an opportunity to build on this history. 
    • By being the first state in the Midwest to implement guidelines such as this, we have the opportunity to provide a model for other states.
      • Clean transportation policies are in place already in California, Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico, and legislation is pending this year in New York, Vermont, Michigan, and Illinois. If passed, Minnesota’s program would be the first in the Midwest.

    “The Clean Transportation Standard Act will provide the framework Minnesota needs to decarbonize our transportation sector. It will engage the fossil fuel industry in the clean energy transition and benefit communities that have been most harmed by transportation pollution.”

    -Senate Transportation Committee Chair Scott Dibble, Senate author 

    “Addressing the climate crisis requires an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach to decarbonization. This Act will support innovation and economic development in agriculture and biofuels, put more electric cars on the roads, and invest in harder-to-electrify sectors like trucking and aviation.”  

    -Representative Jeff Brand, House author