Minnesota is pursuing clean car standards for the state to help meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050. Transportation is the largest source of GHG emissions in Minnesota, and state residents have asked for more meaningful ways to address climate change.
The state has proposed adopting the Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) and Zero-Emission Vehicle standards to avoid the ramifications of any changes to federal standards resulting from the 2018 rollback of federal fuel economy and GHG emissions standards for passenger vehicles. To date, 14 states and DC have adopted the LEV standard, and 11 states have adopted both standards.
An MPCA rulemaking process to adopt these standards began last month. If finalized, the rule would first apply to the model year 2024.