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Database of Climate Ordinances Now Available to Planners

February 8, 2021 in Communities Author: Jessi Wyatt

Planners can now explore a database of climate ordinances in the United States using a new web-based tool developed by the Great Plains Institute (GPI). GPI has been working with two divisions of the American Planning Association—the American Planning Association Sustainable Communities Division and the American Planning Association Environment, Natural Resources and Energy Division—to identify and help develop tools for planners working on climate change in their local communities. Continue reading »

Why Minnesota Cities Need Better Building Codes to Achieve Energy and Climate Goals

February 5, 2021 in Communities Author: Abby Finis

minneapolis skyline

As Minnesota cities work to make progress on energy and climate goals, their efforts may run into a state-level barrier to higher building energy code standards. Seven cities in Minnesota are working together to engage other city leaders across the state to address this barrier by seeking higher energy building standards at the state level for commercial and large multifamily buildings. The Great Plains Institute is leading city engagement in support of this effort as part of a public-private partnership.

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Clean Energy Proves It’s Still Possible to Bridge Our Divides

February 4, 2021 in News & Press Author: Rolf Nordstrom

rolf nordstrom

It is hard to find words to capture 2020 and yet the year’s tragic features are now seared into our national psyche: images of the US Capitol under siege, the pandemic‘s staggering human and economic toll, long-standing racial disparities and injustices that can no longer be ignored, and a fractured political system and populace, all stressing the foundations of our democratic system of government.

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Biochar Roundtable Highlights Opportunities for Commercialization in Minnesota

February 3, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Mariem Zaghdoudi

biochar

On November 23, 2020, the Bioeconomy Coalition of Minnesota (BCM) and Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) co-hosted a biochar roundtable to discuss opportunities and limitations of commercializing biochar in Minnesota. The roundtable included a series of expert presentations and a group discussion facilitated by Brendan Jordan, vice president of Transportation and Fuels at the Great Plains Institute, which facilitates the Coalition. Continue reading »

Webinar Series Shows Benefits of Midwestern Clean Fuels Policies Across Industry Sectors

February 2, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Mariem Zaghdoudi

road

Gathering input from a wide-ranging group of stakeholders, the Great Plains Institute (GPI) has been working to develop and implement clean fuels policies (CFPs) in Midwestern states. A CFP is a technology-neutral, performance-based policy that reduces the use of high-carbon transportation fuels while providing incentives to deploy lower-carbon alternatives such as electricity, hydrogen, and biofuels. GPI has been hosting a webinar series, with each webinar focused on a different low-carbon fuel, as part of our work to educate more stakeholders about the benefits of a CFP.

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Looking Back: Progress Made Toward Transportation Electrification in Minnesota in 2020

January 13, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Katelyn Bocklund

ev charger

The year 2020 was challenging—we worked hard to stay apart, embraced wearing masks everywhere we went, and rediscovered the outdoors. It was a year of immense pain, and we said goodbye to deeply loved friends and family. Restaurants, movie theaters, and other businesses endured trying economic times, or closed altogether, amidst a pandemic that shut down life as we once knew it. As we reflect on the past year, we’re also recognizing where progress was still able to occur, particularly on transportation electrification in Minnesota, which can deliver economic and environmental benefits for the state.

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Energy Act of 2020 will Advance Technologies Key to 2050 Net-Zero Carbon Goal

January 12, 2021 in News & Press Author: Jennifer Christensen

capitol building

Congress passed an expansive bipartisan energy package in a year-end omnibus spending bill that will drive emissions reductions, increase jobs, support economic competitiveness, and result in the development and deployment of technologies essential to meeting 2050 climate goals. Passage of the Energy Act of 2020—the first major energy package in over a decade—signals broad support for building a net-zero carbon economy, which requires an all-hands-on-deck approach over the next decade.

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GPI Welcomes Madelyn Morrison as Carbon Capture Coalition External Affairs Manager

January 8, 2021 in Carbon Management, News & Press Author: Jennifer Christensen

Madelyn Morrison

The Carbon Capture Coalition announced this week the hiring of Madelyn Morrison as its external affairs manager. Madelyn joins Jessie Stolark, the Coalition’s public policy & member relations manager, as its second full-time staff member. The Coalition, which is convened by the Great Plains Institute, is a nonpartisan collaboration of more than 80 businesses and organizations building federal policy support for economy-wide deployment of carbon capture, transport, use, removal, and storage. Continue reading »

Ethanol in a Midwestern Clean Fuels Policy

January 5, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Hannah Haas

ethanol in a midwestern clean fuels

As part of the Great Plains Institute’s work to develop a Midwestern clean fuels policy, we are hosting webinars that focus on clean fuels in the market today and how those industries could benefit from a regional policy. In the first three webinars, GPI looked at the role of electric vehicles (in two webinars) and renewable natural gas in a potential Midwestern clean fuels policy. The fourth webinar in the series discussed how a Midwestern clean fuels policy can support the ethanol industry across the supply chain in the region.

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The Clean Energy Revolution Your Business Might Be Missing

January 4, 2021 in Energy Systems Author: Rolf Nordstrom

rolf nordstrom forbes

GPI President and CEO Rolf Nordstrom wrote “The Clean Energy Revolution Your Business Might Be Missing” for the Forbes Business Council website where it was originally published. Nordstrom recently became a council member.

If the quiet energy revolution taking place, particularly in the electric sector, has gone unnoticed by you, your company is likely missing out on critical economic and consumer benefits.

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