State policy and regulatory decisions can significantly impact local governments’ ability to advance climate resilience and mitigation. Often, local governments have climate or clean energy goals that far exceed their local authority to make them a reality. Therefore, supportive state policy, programs, funding, and regulatory decisions are essential.
Now more than ever, it is important to ensure that local communities remain engaged in broader state and federal policy and regulatory conversations. One way to achieve that is by creating peer learning spaces.
In part one of this blog series, we highlight the importance of collaboration in advancing local climate action. In part two, we dive into examples of our work in Minnesota that further illustrate the effectiveness of peer learning and demonstrate how other states can replicate this approach.
Through these efforts, GPI keeps Minnesota’s local elected officials and staff engaged in clean energy and climate issues across state policy, programmatic, and regulatory landscapes.
Educating local governments about state climate and clean energy legislation
GPI-led networks in Minnesota help local governments learn how to prioritize climate and clean energy while developing their legislative priorities, including staying engaged with how peer communities approach this process.
The Minnesota Cities Climate Coalition—a GPI-facilitated, nonpartisan statewide group of local elected officials—meets monthly to engage city council members and mayors from across the state in clean energy and climate policy and regulatory issues.
During the meetings, we share opportunities to engage in the state legislative landscape by hosting presentations about proposed legislation. We also organize forums where local governments can provide input, sign letters of support, or testify on legislation that might affect their climate and energy goals.
The historic 2023 Minnesota state legislative session resulted in many policies and programs to bolster local government climate and clean energy initiatives. With our support, local governments weighed in, shaping many of the wins.
More recently, this fall, we shared ways the Minnesota Cities Climate Coalition could help shape the League of Minnesota Cities’ policy priorities for the 2025 legislative session.
As a local elected official and the current chair of the Minnesota Cities Climate Coalition, Edina City Council member Carolyn Jackson finds the coalition’s work helpful in learning about opportunities to take climate action.
“The Cities Climate Coalition members share successes, challenges, and ways to talk about climate change,” said Jackson. “The Great Plains Institute tracks and introduces opportunities for our group to engage in advocacy at the Minnesota Legislature and among state agencies.”
Providing valuable input on state climate plans and programs
The Community Energy Network (CEN), a peer learning network of local government staff co-facilitated by GPI, and the Cities Climate Coalition also provide a space for local governments to provide feedback to shape state programs. GPI has hosted local government input sessions for State of Minnesota federal grant applications, such as the Solar for All program, and state plans, such as Minnesota’s Priority Climate Action Plan.
State agencies like the Minnesota Department of Commerce engage our networks for feedback on how the state distributes federal funding to rural communities. This enables the state to have better insight and reach into rural and disadvantaged regions, enabling communities to have better access to essential resources and funding opportunities.
Sharing information about public utility commission proceedings
Our peer networks also serve as a key platform for sharing information about key regulatory dockets with local governments and providing a space to engage collectively.
In the past, CEN members have formed work groups to submit joint letters in their utility’s integrated resource planning processes, which entail planning and managing a region’s long-term energy needs. More recently, GPI hosted two meetings for CEN members to discuss submitting joint comments on a proposal that would have affected community solar garden contracts and lowered savings for local governments.
“We became aware of the proposed changes [to the community solar garden program] through the Community Energy Network,” said one CEN member. “This has a huge financial impact, so we are very glad we learned about it and engaged with the PUC [the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission] process.”
The implementation of several laws passed in the 2023 and 2024 sessions—as well as other topics of interest to local governments, like utility integrated resource planning—will be overseen by the Minnesota PUC in the coming years. In 2025, GPI plans to expand our efforts to help our local government network members understand how regulatory decisions will impact their climate and clean energy goals and engage in the regulatory process.
“Working with other cities through CEN has fine-tuned our sustainability advocacy efforts to build strength in numbers when we lobby for climate action at the legislature and PUC,” said a CEN member.
Bringing clean energy to communities in Minnesota and across the nation
Action by local governments and communities from around the nation is crucial to meet our climate and clean energy goals. State-based networks are incredibly valuable for collaboration, collective action, and understanding a state’s unique policy and regulatory landscape.
Are you interested in learning more about our local government peer networks or creating a network in your state? Visit our Communities web page to learn more about the Minnesota Cities Climate Coalition for elected officials and the Community Energy Network for local government staff.
