Minnesota’s largest wildfire in a century started with a lightning strike in August 2011. It burned slowly for a few weeks before more than tripling in size in a few days, driven by an unprecedented wind event. All told, the Pagami Creek Fire burned more than 92,000 acres of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Almost ten years later, the Greenwood Fire burned nearly 20,000 acres, mostly within the Superior National Forest, which prompted the first temporary closure of the Boundary Waters since the 1970s. Continue reading »
Transportation Electrification Progress Since the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act
November 22, 2023 in Transportation & Fuels Author: M. Moaz UddinTwo years ago this month, Congress passed the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Transportation electrification was one of the priorities in the legislation—electric vehicles and related infrastructure were eligible for $30.7 billion of the funding. We broke down the electric vehicle programs in a previous blog. Continue reading »
Learn about the Clean Fuel States Collaborative
October 9, 2023 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Mariem ZaghdoudiIf you ask the average American how many entities they think are involved in designing a complex policy, they’ll likely say: “Many.” We at the Great Plains Institute (GPI) have found that to be true. To design policy to achieve multiple objectives, it’s critical to engage as many of the stakeholders that would be impacted by that legislation as early in the process as possible. Continue reading »
GPI Applauds Launch of Coalition to Advance Sustainable Aviation Fuels in Minnesota
August 29, 2023 in News & Press, Transportation & Fuels Author: Darren Goode GPI Vice President for Transportation and Fuels Brendan Jordan issued the following statement on today’s launch of the Minnesota Sustainable Aviation Fuel Hub, a new coalition led by the GREATER MSP Partnership, Bank of America, Delta Air Lines, Ecolab, and Xcel Energy. Continue reading »
Cities Across Minnesota Are Becoming EV Smart
August 25, 2023 in Communities, Transportation & Fuels Authors: Alejandro Nakpil, Diana McKeownThis blog was updated from a blog originally authored by Diana McKeown on November 15, 2022.
In November of 2022, the Great Plains Institute launched the EV Smart program in Minnesota. EV Smart is a voluntary certification and recognition program funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Clean Transportation Pilot Program. GPI designed EV Smart to provide communities with a road map to electric vehicle (EV) readiness and help them equitably achieve their EV-readiness goals through technical assistance and a peer cohort model. Continue reading »
GPI’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station Economics Calculator
August 11, 2023 in Energy Systems, Transportation & Fuels Author: Dane McFarlaneThis blog was originally published August 15, 2019. The calculator was updated in 2023 to include a mechanism that allows users to input EV charging station customer pricing by the kilowatt-hour instead of only by the minute. Please contact the Transportation & Fuels team with any questions about the calculator. Continue reading »
GPI Requests Twin Cities Electric Mobility Education Outreach Proposals
July 11, 2023 in News & Press, Transportation & Fuels Author: Darren GoodeProject aims to fill electric mobility literacy gap in underserved communities
July 11, 2023, MINNEAPOLIS—The Great Plains Institute (GPI) is requesting proposals to help fill the literacy gap about electric mobility among low-income, historically marginalized groups, and other underserved communities in the Twin Cities. Continue reading »
Next Steps for a Clean Transportation Standard in Minnesota
June 22, 2023 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Mariem ZaghdoudiDespite the national and state momentum and the consistent support from the growing Future Fuels Coalition, the proposed Minnesota clean transportation standard did not pass during the state’s recently adjourned legislative session. Yet progress will continue this summer thanks to legislation requiring the establishment of a working group on a clean transportation standard in the state. Continue reading »
Minnesota’s Historic Legislative Session Delivers Clean Energy, Climate Wins
June 14, 2023 in Communities, Transportation & Fuels Author: Carolyn BerningerMinnesota legislators and advocates seized a unique opportunity this spring to pass transformative clean energy and climate policy that will jump-start the state’s transition to a lower-carbon economy. The state’s legislative session adjourned on May 22, and it was a busy few months at the Capitol. The state’s historic budget surplus, unified Democrat-Farmer-Labor (DFL) control of state government, and significant federal investments in clean energy set the stage for ambitious policymaking in 2023. Continue reading »
Minnesota Approves Comprehensive Statewide Electric Vehicle Readiness Assistance
May 24, 2023 in News & Press, Transportation & Fuels Author: Darren GoodeBudget deals significantly elevate state’s effort to expand transportation electrification
May 24, 2023, MINNEAPOLIS—Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has signed into law a sweeping set of first-time incentives and other funding approved by the state legislature that significantly elevates the state’s efforts to expand transportation electrification. Continue reading »