Economic Benefits of a Clean Fuels Policy in Minnesota and Iowa

July 12, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Mariem Zaghdoudi

clean fuels

New analysis shows that a Midwestern clean fuels policy (CFP) can deliver positive economic benefits while reducing carbon emissions in the region. This is the conclusion of an ICF study commissioned by the Great Plains Institute in partnership with the American Coalition for Ethanol, and with support from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the McKnight Foundation. ICF was commissioned to investigate the economic impacts of a Midwestern CFP, and used Minnesota and Iowa as representative states of the region. Legislators in Minnesota are considering the Future Fuels Act, a proposed CFP. Continue reading »

Benefits for Wood-Based Renewable Diesel in a Midwestern Clean Fuels Policy

May 21, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Hannah Haas

As part of the Great Plains Institute’s work to develop a Midwestern clean fuels policy, we are hosting a webinar series about clean fuels on the market and how those industries could benefit from a regional policy. The most recent webinar explored how a clean fuels policy can create markets for underutilized wood through the production of wood-based renewable diesel in the Midwest. Continue reading »

Future Fuels Act Receives First Hearing in Minnesota

March 17, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Katelyn Bocklund

fuel truck

Last week, the bipartisan and bicameral Future Fuels Act was introduced in the Minnesota State Legislature, authored by Minnesota House of Representatives Assistant Majority Leader Todd Lippert (DFL) and Senate Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy Committee Chairman David Senjem (R). The House bill had its first hearing in the Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee, marking the first time a clean fuels policy received a legislative hearing in the Midwest.

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Partnership on Waste and Energy Releases Policy and Regulatory Considerations to Develop Food Waste Digestion in Minnesota Report

March 4, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Katelyn Bocklund

anaeroebic digestion

The Partnership on Waste and Energy, a collaboration between Minnesota’s Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties that addresses waste and energy management issues, just released the report, Policy and Regulatory Considerations to Develop Food Waste Digestion in Minnesota, which was authored by the Great Plains Institute (GPI).

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Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council Releases Recommendations for Minnesota

March 1, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Katelyn Bocklund

minneapolis skyline

About a year after Great Plains Institute President and CEO Rolf Nordstrom was appointed to the 22-member Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council (STAC), the council has come forward with its initial recommendations to decarbonize transportation in Minnesota. MnDOT will respond to these first recommendations by mid-March while STAC members continue to develop the next round of recommendations during 2021. Continue reading »

What Business Owners Should Know To Prepare For The Shift To Electric Vehicles

February 23, 2021 in News & Press, Transportation & Fuels Author: Rolf Nordstrom

GPI President and CEO Rolf Nordstrom wrote “What Business Owners Should Know to Prepare for the Shift to Electric Vehicles” for the Forbes Business Council website where it was originally published. Nordstrom recently became a council member.

Transportation electrification will likely permanently change how we move people and goods, so having a nuanced understanding of electric vehicles (EVs) and their implications is now a business imperative. Even though Tesla is a household name, there’s a lot of mythology and outdated information out there about EVs. Continue reading »