Green New Deal - MN350 Action

Community Wellness & Good Jobs for All

A Green New Deal could invest in affordable solar, energy efficiency upgrades for low income residents and businesses, and frequent, accessible, clean public transportation. These programs could create green jobs training and access for communities that need them, lower energy bills, and improve community health.
Minnesota must provide for those who are disproportionately impacted by climate change, pollution, and the changing workforce that will result as our economy necessarily transitions away from fossil fuels. Climate change and pollution have exacerbated systemic racial, regional, social, environmental, and economic injustices by disproportionately affecting groups including Indigenous peoples, communities of color, migrant communities, and depopulated rural communities.
We are demanding national lawmakers provide good jobs for all, but we don’t have to wait for federal funding to get started on creating jobs that support our communities. We can get started right now.

We are asking our state legislators to:

Ensure that the clean energy economy is comprised of high-paying unionized jobs;
Provide additional state funding to support municipalities and counties to roll out IRA funds equitably, provide everyone access to a clean energy home, and support a clean energy buildings transition;
Fund projects for infrastructure adaptation and establish a resilience fund to help local governments strengthen their communities and prepare for the impacts of climate change;
Develop proposals to cover the funding for both just-transition planning and remedies for dislocation, job or economic loss, restoration, and re-employment; and
Ensure that workers and communities impacted by the transition to the clean energy economy have a direct role in the assessment and in developing transition plans.

We are currently tracking the following legislation:

Residential Heat Pump Rebate Program (HF2771/SF2775)
Electric Panel Upgrade (HF849/SF1787)
Advanced Commercial Building Codes (HF772/SF1368)
Energy Benchmarking (HF2269/SF2295)
Sabathani Community Center Appropriation for Capital Improvements (HF1926/SF1698)
Rochester District Energy System Appropriation (HF2646/SF2450)
Air Ventilation Program for School Buildings (HF2100/SF1948)

Why it matters

The transition to a clean energy economy will create a large volume of jobs and business opportunities, and access to these opportunities should be available to all. Energy efficiency conservation programs save Minnesotans millions of dollars each year and provide good jobs that can’t be outsourced. Minnesota’s clean energy industry has created more than 15,000 well-paying jobs and is one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy. With incoming federal funding we can build a clean energy infrastructure that includes all Minnesotans in a just and equitable way.

To learn more about our work, contact Noelle Cirisan.