Title
Authorizing the Office of Financial Services to apply for an MPCA Local Climate Action Planning Grant for developing a municipal fleet decarbonization plan.
Body
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has allocated $1.5 million in funding during FY2025 through the Local Climate Action Grant program to develop or implement plans of action that enable local jurisdictions to adapt to extreme weather events and a changing climate and/or to reduce the local jurisdiction’s contributions to the causes of climate change; and
WHEREAS, the greenhouse gas inventory conducted by the City of Saint Paul in 2016 documented that 31% of emissions in Saint Paul are generated by the transportation sector; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan adopted in December 2019 established the goal to achieve carbon neutrality in municipal operations by 2030; and
WHEREAS, greenhouse gas emissions from the City’s fleet operations have increased over the past eight years despite actions to replace some City-owned gas-powered passenger vehicles with battery electric and hybrid vehicles; and
WHEREAS, making a significant reduction in the emissions from municipal fleet operations by 2030 will require more aggressive actions to expand electric vehicle infrastructure and convert heavy-duty vehicles to zero-emission options; and
WHEREAS, funding through an MPCA Local Climate Action Grant would allow the Office of Financial Services to obtain technical consulting services for developing a Municipal Fleet Decarbonization Plan identifying a pathway for reaching carbon neutrality in fleet operations; and
WHEREAS, the City certifies that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the grant agreement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, the Saint Paul City Council expressly provides its support for the City of Saint Paul to submit a grant application to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for $50,000 with a grant term ending June 2026 with required match of $25,000 from the Office of Financial Services Budget for the development of a Municipal Fleet Decarbonization Plan; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that should the City be awarded grant funds for this application, the Saint Paul City Council authorizes the appropriate City departments to enter into one or more grant agreement(s) with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.