The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) recently adopted the Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council’s (STAC) proposed recommendations.
MnDOT’s 2019 Pathways to Decarbonizing Transportation report created STAC. The report identified actions, recommendations, and opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from surface transportation.
STAC’s recommendations center around transitioning to a low-carbon transportation system. It includes prioritizing other solutions before considering highway expansion, prioritizing transit and high-occupancy vehicles on MnDOT-owned roads, supporting electric vehicle rebates, increasing investment in charging infrastructure, developing a clean fuels policy, and sets the goal of reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled statewide by 20 percent by 2050.
“We are deeply grateful to the members of the STAC for their thorough recommendations as we work collaboratively to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector,” Margaret Anderson Kelliher, MnDOT commissioner, said. “Our climate is changing, and we all share in the responsibility of working harder to achieve Minnesota’s Next Generation Energy Act emission reduction goals. The recommendations of the STAC will be critical to our success.”
“Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions will require significant public-private and interagency partnerships as well as coordination with municipal and county agencies,” Chris Clark, STAC co-chairman, said.
STAC will meet Thursday to discuss the recommendations and MnDOT’s response.