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Authorizing Mayor Carter’s Office and the Office of Financial Services to submit a McKnight Foundation Climate and Energy Program Grant Proposal.
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WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP) adopted in 2019 includes the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50% community-wide by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions in Saint Paul by 2050, while also making city operations carbon neutral by 2030; and
WHEREAS, the CARP identifies the need to transition away from the use of fossil fuels for building heating as a high priority area of action, and the City and many local partners have been actively building and pursuing all-electric buildings that use either ground-source (geothermal or geo-exchange) heat pumps or air-source heat pumps for heating and cooling; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul is proud to be home of District Energy St. Paul (DESP), the country’s largest hot water district heating system, and is working with DESP and other partners on ideas to transition away from the use of fossil fuels in the system; and
WHEREAS, Xcel Energy is in the process of scoping a thermal energy network (geothermal) pilot that could happen in Saint Paul in the coming years, and Xcel Energy has committed to decarbonizing it’s natural gas distribution system by 2050; and
WHEREAS, the State Legislature passed the Natural Gas Innovation Act in 2023 that lays the groundwork for statewide transition away from the use of Natural Gas by 2050; and
WHEREAS, transitioning away from the use of fossil fuels is complex and different approaches will be needed for different types of buildings and different land-use configurations, and the City of Saint Paul could benefit greatly from some deep analysis of the best ways to enact and accelerate this transition in the coming years; and
WHEREAS, a Saint Paul Thermal Energy Plan would provide guidance to the City, our local utilities, and building owners in Saint Paul about the most cost-effective ways to pursue a transition to clean heat across Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, the McKnight Foundation’s Midwest Climate and Energy Program aims to foster and support climate and energy leadership in the Midwest, making the region a model for the world by reducing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, the McKnight Foundation has expressed a willingness to consider a proposal from the City of Saint Paul for the above purpose, in order to advance the goals of the City’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council authorizes Mayor Carter’s office and the Office of Financial Services to submit, on behalf of the City of Saint Paul, an application to the McKnight Foundation for $500,000 for the purposes outlined herein; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that if the grant funds are awarded, the City Council authorizes Mayor Carter’s office and the Office of Financial Services to enter into a grant agreement with the McKnight Foundation.