We are living in what is being called the “decisive decade”—the actions we take between now and 2030 to tackle the global climate crisis will determine our future. This undeniable urgency, alongside the threats of our unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels and the ongoing cycle of extreme weather events, means that we must work together to forge a clean energy future that benefits everyone here in Minnesota, the Midwest, and beyond. And you can count on Fresh Energy to continue rising to the challenge.
Thanks to you and our community of supporters, Fresh Energy’s future-focused policy work has pushed our power sector to get cleaner and accelerated the transition of carbon-intensive parts of our economy—like buildings and transportation—onto clean electricity. Fresh Energy is forging a clean energy future that benefits all, but at this time of unprecedented progress and historic federal investments, we must push harder than ever to do more, faster.
With your help, Fresh Energy’s 30th year of advocacy and policy change has been one to celebrate, bringing huge advancements to Minnesota’s clean energy landscape. Not only is the upper Midwest getting a historic $10.3 billion investment in transmission which will help get renewables online faster, but we successfully urged Xcel Energy to both retire the last of its coal plants and invest in new wind, solar, and battery storage instead of new fossil gas plants.
As we look ahead to our ambitious goals for the coming year and my personal plan for “rewiring”—I’m not calling it retiring!—that I shared at our Benefit Breakfast, Fresh Energy’s work is more critical than ever. This is the decisive decade and Fresh Energy is pushing hard to:
- Ensure Minnesota does not miss out on the unprecedented, long-term funding opportunities in the IRA and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which tentatively allocates about $7.3 billion for Minnesota.
- Take on the toughest sectors of our economy to decarbonize by launching a new Industry department that will focus on regulation, policy, and market transformation to speed greenhouse gas emissions reductions in Minnesota’s bedrock industrial and agricultural sectors.
- Advance nonpartisan, equity-focused policies at the Minnesota Legislature to ensure that our communities, residents, businesses, and industries all thrive as we transition to a carbon-free future.
- Plan for the future of clean energy in Minnesota by beginning a strategic planning process that centers ambitious and equitable policy change.
But we can’t do this without your support. Join us today with a donation and together, we will take the climate change challenge head on and forge a clean energy future that benefits all.
