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 ...
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