Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been a champion for climate and clean energy. Walz’s administration has prioritized tackling the climate crisis and advancing clean energy, and under his leadership, the state has passed dozens of climate initiatives to reduce pollution, bolster renewable energy generation, create jobs, and improve infrastructure. 

Updated 9/27/2024

Top Hits

• ACCELERATING OUR CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY: Governor Walz has championed investments in Minnesota’s clean energy industry. The state has seen $1.15 billion in investment and almost 2,000 new jobs since the passage of the clean energy plan. Walz signed legislation to accelerate renewable energy projects and move Minnesota utilities to 100% clean energy generation by 2040. Walz’s administration has also funded clean energy career training to prepare Minnesotans for the industries of the future, and has advocated for expanding the electric vehicles in the state.
• REDUCING CLIMATE POLLUTION: Governor Walz’s “One Minnesota Plan” provided a framework for the state to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. He rolled out a climate action plan in 2022 to slash pollution by 50% by 2030 that also sought to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Minnesota became the first state in the Midwest to adopt more stringent pollution standards for cars and trucks, which will reduce carbon pollution by 2 million tons by 2030. Walz also signed legislation to reduce carbon intensity in transportation fuels by 100 percent by 2050. 
• PROTECTING CLEAN AIR AND WATER: Governor Walz has prioritized protecting Minnesota’s clean air and water. Walz’s 2022 budget called for a $200 million investment in clean water and wastewater, and he signed legislation investing $240 million in lead pipe replacement. He has celebrated federal investments in tackling air pollution, and praised the Biden-Harris administration’s support for critical waterways and urged continued support for water infrastructure upgrades. 

Table of Contents

Walz Delivered On Climate Action As Governor 2

Walz Recognized The Urgency Of The Climate Crisis And Supported Policies To Address Its Impacts 3

Walz Advanced Plans To Cut Carbon Pollution 4

Walz Championed Clean Air Protections 4

Walz Championed Clean Transit 5

Walz Acted To Protect Clean Water 6

Walz Championed Clean Energy 8

Walz Championed Environmental Justice 10

Walz Advanced Climate-Resilient Infrastructure 11

Walz Fought Back Against Trump’s Attacks On Our Environment 11

Walz Worked To Conserve Our Public Lands 12

Walz Championed Environmental Protections 12

Walz’s Record Of Taking On Big Oil 13

Walz Delivered On Climate Action As Governor

• According to Time Magazine, Walz has delivered “big climate wins” as governor despite a divided legislature in Minnesota.
• In 2019, Walz signed a climate change executive order that established the Climate Change Subcabinet and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Climate Change.
  • Walz established the subcabinet and advisory council to meet Minnestoa’s emissions reduction goals. Walz said the order would bring state agencies together to implement “bold” climate action. 
• In 2022, Walz released a plan to fight climate change that would slash carbon pollution and accelerate the clean energy transition.  
• During the 2023 legislative session, Minnesota passed more than 40 climate initiatives as part of Walz’s climate plan, and under Walz, Minnesota was praised for its actions on climate change.

Walz Acted To Tackle The Climate Crisis And Its Impacts 

• In his inauguration speech, Walz said Minnesota must address climate change “instead of burying our head in our hands.” 
• Walz made climate change a priority as governor and in 2019, said Minnesota would lead on climate if Washington would not.
• Walz believed in established climate science, saying that “the science on climate change is settled.” He has repeatedly called climate change an “existential threat,” and recognized the urgency of the climate crisis. 
• Walz pushed for action to address increasing extreme weather events and recognized climate change’s role in worsening such events.
• Walz advocated for farmers to be included in climate action and repeatedly supported collaborative efforts to reduce emissions from agriculture.
• As Governor, Walz selected appointees for his administration called for ambitious climate action.
• In 2017, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Climate Change National Security Strategy Act, which looked to create an interagency Climate and National Security Working Group tasked with developing an action plan regarding climate-related impacts on national security.
• In Congress, Walz repeatedly cosponsored the SAFE Act, which would have created a National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy Joint Implementation Working Group to address the effects of extreme weather and climate change on fish, wildlife, and plants. 
• In 2019, Walz declared a Climate Week in Minnesota to “recognize the urgency of taking bold action to mitigate climate change,” and stressed that climate change threatened everything that made Minnesota a great place to live.  
• As Governor, Walz oversaw Minnesota’s response to record-breaking drought and wildfires in 2021 and managed flood recovery efforts in 2022. 
• In 2024, Walz signed an executive order activating Minnesota’s State Soldiers Assistance Program Disaster Relief Grants to provide financial assistance to veterans following severe storms. 

Walz Advanced Plans To Cut Carbon Pollution 

• In 2024, Walz sought federal funding for Minnesota through the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, created through the clean energy plan. Walz’s proposals sought funding to cut pollution, improve the state’s food system, and develop an electric truck charging network. 
• In 2024, Walz announced a $200 million EPA grant to cut climate pollution from the state’s food systems.
• In 2024, Walz announced federal funding for a biomanufacturing facility focused on sustainable chemical manufacturing.
• In 2021, Governor Walz announced a new Climate Action Framework that called for building out electric vehicle infrastructure, increasing the use of wind and solar, and building carbon storage in forests and soils. 
• In 2022, Walz rolled out a climate action plan with the goals of increasing the share of electric vehicles to 20 percent by 2030, slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

Walz Championed Clean Air Protections

• Walz opposed Trump’s executive order rolling back the Clean Power Plan, saying the order failed “to keep us in the driver’s seat” and denied “the very existence of climate change.”
• In his gubernatorial campaign, Walz supported efforts to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 80% by 2050. 
• As Governor, Walz’s climate change plan sought to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 50% by 2050. 

• In 2019, Walz signed an executive order creating the Governor’s Council on Biofuels to advise the governor on how to best expand the use of biofuels and increase carbon efficiency, as part of the state’s goal to reduce air pollution in transportation.
• In 2023, Walz pushed for over $11 million in tax credits for cleaner aviation fuels, and celebrated federal tax credits for sustainable aviation fuels. 
• Walz celebrated a nearly $200 million federal investment from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant created through the clean energy plan. The grant aimed to tackle air pollution, advance environmental justice, and develop clean energy solutions in Minnesota.
• In 2007, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Safe Climate Act, which directed the EPA to set targets for a 2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year from 2010 to 2050.
• In 2018, then-Congressman Walz voted against a resolution that delayed stronger limits on pollution from brick manufacturing facilities. The bill would have delayed limits on deadly, toxic pollutants including mercury, arsenic, and carcinogens like benzene and formaldehyde, all of which can lead to negative health outcomes and death. 
• In 2017, then-Congressman Walz voted against a resolution that delayed the EPA’s updated standards for air pollution by at least ten years and doubled the five-year review periods for updating national air quality standards. 

Walz Championed Clean Transit

• In 2019, Walz instructed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to implement clean car standards. In 2021, a state administrative judge signed off on Walz’s proposed clean car rules and Walz officially signed them into law, making Minnesota the first state in the Midwest to adopt more stringent pollution standards.
  • Walz celebrated the state’s clean cars standards, noting they would benefit all Minnesotans and reduce Minnesota’s carbon pollution by 2 million tons by 2030.
  • Minnesota became the first state in the Midwest to adopt more stringent pollution standards for cars and trucks, which will reduce carbon pollution by 2 million tons by 2030. 
• In 2023, Walz signed legislation requiring state agencies to convene a clean transportation standard working group, aimed at identifying opportunities to reduce carbon intensity in Minnesota’s transportation fuels.
  • The legislation aimed to reduce the carbon intensity of Minnesota’s transportation fuels by 25% below 2018 levels by 2030, 75% by 2040, and 100% by 2050. 
• Walz sued the Trump administration for threatening states’ rights to set stringent car emission standards.
• Walz signed legislation to reduce carbon intensity in transportation fuels by 100% by 2050. 
• Walz proposed a climate plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 80 percent by 2040.
• Walz supported measures in Minnesota’s clean cars standard that encouraged electric vehicle expansion, and his climate plan sought to increase electric vehicles to 20% share by 2030. 
• In 2019, Walz proposed over $1 billion in public transit funding through a sales tax increase in the Twin Cities to support public transit updates, borrowing, ad increased motor vehicle sales tax. 
• In 2019, Walz testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and highlighted Minnesota’s investments in clean transportation, and called for multimodal transportation investments that supported biking trails and EV charging networks. 

Walz Acted To Protect Clean Water

• In 2023, Walz signed the first-in-the-nation ban on PFAS in products by 2032, and required manufacturers to report their use of PFAS in products to the state by 2026. 
• In 2023, Walz budget proposal called for over $45 million to address PFAS pollution. 
• In 2023, Walz proposed a $3.3 billion infrastructure package that included funding for clean water projects. 
• As Governor, Walz’s 2022 budget recommendations called for a $200 million investment in clean water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. 
• In 2021, Walz praised the Biden-Harris administration’s support for critical waterways and urged a continued emphasis on upgrading water infrastructure. 
• In 2023, Walz signed legislation providing $240 million in grants to remove and replace lead pipes for community water systems and municipalities in Minnesota, improving access to safe, clean water, and reducing negative health outcomes associated with lead contact. 
• In 2022, Walz called for $200 million in funding for clean water and wastewater. 
• In 2021, Walz signed the Legacy Omnibus, which provided $1.98 million for stormwater management projects. 
• In 2020, Walz proposed a $300 million investment in water infrastructure as part of his Local Jobs and Projects Plan. The final bill Walz signed included $269 million for water infrastructure projects.
  • The proposal included $25 million to match federal water infrastructure investments. 
  • The proposal included $100 million for the Water Infrastructure Funding program. 
  • The proposal called for $75 million to address point source water pollution. 
  • The proposal called to fund several local water system upgrades as well as resilient stormwater and wastewater infrastructure projects. 
• In 2019, Walz approved $102 million in funding for clean water and natural resources, and upgraded stormwater systems. 
• In 2019, Gov. Walz testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and argued against privately trading water resources and advocated for federal support to help small communities keep water treatment plants open. 
• As governor, Walz worked to address lead pollution. In 2019, Walz ordered a company to cease operations for causing lead poisoning, and in 2023, Walz proposed $240 million to replace lead service lines. 
• In 2016, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Families of Flint Act, which would have established a 10-year grant program to ensure that Flint’s drinking water does not contain unsafe levels of lead or other contaminants.
• In Congress, Walz repeatedly cosponsored the Clean Water Affordability Act, which sought to assist communities with upgrading their wastewater infrastructure to meet EPA mandates.  
• In 2013, then-Congressman Walz was an original cosponsor of the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act, which aimed to create jobs by investing almost $14 billion over five years by funding efforts to improve water quality.
• In 2014, then-Congressman Walz voted against a resolution eliminating a rule requiring a buffer zone around waterways to protect them from toxic coal mining waste. 
• In 2019, Walz, along with fourteen other governors, signed a letter urging federal action to prevent drinking water contamination near military sites and called for action to address PFAS. 
• In 2021, Walz joined the governors of three other Great Lakes states to urge President Biden to prioritize investments in water infrastructure and take action on PFAS. 
• In 2023, Walz’s budget proposed $46 million towards preventing, managing, and cleaning up chemicals contaminating Minnesota’s soil, water, air, people, and wildlife and meeting the EPA’s newly proposed PFAS standards. 

Walz Championed Clean Energy 

• Walz has long argued clean energy is good for business, noting that tens of thousands of Minnesotans work in clean energy. Walz celebrated a 2019 report that found 61,000 Minnesotans worked in clean energy, noting the state was outpacing others and called to “seize the moment.” 
• Walz championed Minnesota’s carbon-free electricity standard, which he first proposed in 2019. The 2023 law required Minnesota to reach 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040.
  • Walz celebrated the standard for creating new clean energy jobs and encouraging utility companies to locate new clean energy facilities in communities negatively affected by fossil fuel plant closures.
• Walz identified his 2022 climate plan as a key opportunity to support the state’s clean energy workforce and advocated for the sector to increase apprenticeship opportunities.

• In 2024, Walz signed legislation to accelerate renewable energy projects and move Minnesota utilities to 100% clean energy generation by 2040.
  • Walz’s plan built on a 2007 law signed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty that set a goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050. 
• In 2023, Walz expanded Minnesota’s Solar for Schools program and highlighted how the investment reduced school energy costs and created jobs.
• In 2021, Walz signed the Energy Conservation and Optimization Act of 2021 into law, which expanded access to energy efficiency grants for low-income families and increased conservation goals for investor-owned utilities.
• In 2021, Walz fought for Minnesotans to have power during the winter. He extended the cold weather period when utilities could not disconnect customers and collaborated with utility companies to identify families that qualified for utility bill assistance funded by the American Rescue Plan.
• In 2020, Walz announced plans to establish a long-term plan for the Midwest’s grid as Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association that sped transmission and clean energy development. 
• In 2021, Walz signed the Commerce and Clean Energy omnibus, which expanded Minnesota’s clean energy economy and required the development of a statewide energy transition plan. The bill included $103 million in funding for the Renewable Development Account. 

• In 2024, Walz announced $2.7 million in grants to build career pathways for people of color and low-income Minnesotans for union trade jobs in construction, clean energy and energy efficiency.
• In 2023, Walz provided $3 million in funding to expand apprenticeship and job training opportunities in clean energy sectors.
• In 2014, then-Congressman Walz introduced the American Energy Opportunity Act of 2014, which would extend tax credits for renewable energy and electric vehicles, and tax deductions for energy efficiency upgrades.
  • In 2011, Walz cosponsored a similar bill called the Infrastructure Jobs and Energy Independence Act, and another in 2009 called the American Conservation and Clean Energy Independence Act.
• In 2018, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Job Creation through Energy Efficient Manufacturing Act, which would require the Department of Energy to provide grants for projects that improve the energy efficiency of small- or medium-sized manufacturers and develop technologies to reduce electricity or gas use.
• In 2016, then-Congressman Walz was an original cosponsor of the Renewable Fuel Utilization, Expansion, and Leadership Act (REFUEL Act), which would establish a program to provide grants for renewable and alternative energy infrastructure projects. He also cosponsored an earlier version of this bill in 2014.
• In 2010, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Renewable Energy Expansion Act, which would extend and expand renewable energy tax incentives. 
• In 2009, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Clean Energy Promotion Act, which sought to fast-track renewable energy projects that were on hold because the Bureau of Land Management didn’t have the resources to process their applications. 
• In 2007, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored legislation to establish a federal renewable energy portfolio standard for electric utilities. The bill would have specified a schedule for increased power generation from renewable energy sources.
• In 2008, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored legislation encouraging Americans to use their rebate checks to invest in renewable energy and energy-efficient products.
• As governor, Walz championed Minnesota’s clean hydrogen economy. He joined with North Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin to develop the Heartland Regional Hydrogen Hub, which received a $1 billion grant from the Department of Energy and was projected to create over 3,800 jobs. Walz also directed state agencies to apply for federal hydrogen grants.

Walz Championed Environmental Justice

• In 2022, Walz released a climate action plan centered that centered environmental justice and proposed that 40 percent of climate investments to support disadvantaged communities, and set goals to reduce age-adjusted heat-related emergency room visits. 
• Walz created a climate change subcabinet, which is advised by a citizen board, and established the Energy Transition Office to devise transition programs, economic initiatives, and equitable transition policy. 
• In 2019, Walz’s administration launched the Interactive Power Plant and Environmental Justice Tools to better track the impacts of power plant pollution on nearby communities.
• Walz celebrated a nearly $200 million federal investment from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant created through the clean energy plan for Minnesota to tackle the climate crisis and to reduce the energy burden for lower income Americans, and provide workforce and economic development opportunities in disadvantaged communities.
  • The grant included an element of coordination with Tribal governments, as well as low-income and disadvantaged communities to improve food security. 
• Walz announced $2.7 million in grants to build career pathways for people of color and low-income Minnesotans for union trade jobs in construction, clean energy, and energy efficiency. 
• As Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association, Walz planned to focus on helping communities rebound from power plant closures, and address job and tax losses from coal plant closures. 
• In 2023, Walz signed legislation that established a carbon-free electricity standard. The law also ensured that workers, particularly in environmental justice areas, have the necessary tools to transition to the clean energy sector, and that emissions are reduced in environmental justice areas. 
• Walz said that it was important to “make the case” that “the environment and environmental justice are central.” 
• Walz’s 2023 One Minnesota Budget invested $4 million to assist Tribal communities and Tribal organizing with applying for and managing climate grants from the state or federal government. 

Walz Advanced Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

• Walz’s climate plan required Minnesota communities to establish climate risk plans and forwarded adaptation projects.
• In 2019, Walz called for federal infrastructure resilience standards while testifying in front of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
• In 2020, Walz proposed over $20 million in funding for stormwater and wastewater infrastructure projects to bolster resiliency. Walz said the investment was necessary because of frequent extreme weather events in Minnesota.
• In 2022, Walz’s budget appropriated $21 million for communities to build flood protection infrastructure as over 155,000 Minnesota homes and apartment buildings were vulnerable to floods.
• In 2023, Walz included $1 million in funding in his budget to support families affected by home insurance premium spikes caused by extreme weather events.
• In 2023, Walz’s budget provided $100 million for resilient communities grant programs that helped communities update aging infrastructure with climate-smart designs.
• Walz advocated for raising the gas tax to fund new infrastructure projects in Minnesota.

Walz Fought Back Against Trump’s Attacks On Our Environment

• Walz fought back against the Trump administration’s attacks on climate science and our environment, expressing opposition to Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. 
• As governor, Walz ensured Minnesota remained in the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors advancing climate action in their states. 
• Walz opposed Trump’s executive order rolling back the Clean Power Plan, saying the order failed “to keep us in the driver’s seat” and denied “the very existence of climate change.”
• In 2019, Minnesota, under Gov. Walz, joined 22 other states in a lawsuit to uphold states’ rights to set their own emission standards, calling the Trump administration’s decision to revoke California’s waiver “reckless” and said it only pleased oil companies. 
• In 2018, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored a resolution calling for the immediate resignation of Trump EPA administrator Scott Pruitt following Pruitt’s failure to enforce pollution violations and follow the agency’s science-based mission. 

Walz Worked To Conserve Our Public Lands

• In 2018, then-Congressman Walz voted against legislation undermining fisheries management.
• In 2017, then-Congressman Walz voted against a Congressional Review Act resolution to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska National Wildlife Refuges Rule. 
• In 2017, then-Congressman Walz voted against a resolution that would have allowed mining on the edge of Minnesota’s national forests and removed environmental review requirements under NEPA. 
• In 2017, then-Congressman Walz voted in favor of an amendment preventing the transfer of public lands to private owners. 
• In 2012, then-Congressman Walz voted against a bill that would cut funding for conservation programs.

Walz Championed Environmental Protections

• Walz’s climate plan forwarded conservation and natural resources protections.
  • Walz’s plan aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on working lands by 25 percent by 2035. 
  • Walz called for adaption plans to be added to state-funded or sponsored land, water, and species management plans. 
• In 2021, Walz signed the Legacy Omnibus into law, which included conservation funding. 
• In 2019, Walz kicked off environmental cleanup at the Waste Disposal Engineering Landfill, one of the most toxic sites in the state. 
• In 2019, Gov. Walz approved funding for upgrade and expansions to nature centers and park space. 

Walz’s Record Of Taking On Big Oil 

• In Congress, Walz repeatedly cosponsored the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would make it unlawful to sell gasoline at an unconscionably excessive price during an international crisis affecting the oil market. 
• In 2019, Walz criticized the Trump administration’s decision to release small refineries from their obligation to blend with biofuels, and asked the administration to enforce rules to reduce toxic carcinogenic aromatics from gasoline, suggesting biofuels could replace them. 
• In 2013, then-Congressman Walz voted against a bill that would prohibit the federal government from setting baseline protections from fracking. 
• In 2013, then-Congressman Walz voted against a bill that would direct federal land managers to prioritize drilling on public lands. 
• In 2013, then-Congressman Walz voted against a bill that would expand offshore drilling off of coastal communities.
• In 2016, then-Congressman Walz voted against an amendment to block the removal of three proposed Arctic Ocean offshore drilling lease sales. 
• In 2013, then-Congressman Walz introduced the Gas Price and Refinery Capacity Relief Act, which would require refiners to report at least one year in advance any planned refinery outages and as soon as practicable any unplanned outages. It also directed the Secretary of Energy to make available to refinery operators information on unplanned outages in order to prevent market disruptions and analyze the costs and benefits of creating a national strategic refined petroleum products reserve. 
• In 2018, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, which would have prohibited the Bureau of Land Management from administering an oil and gas leasing program in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. 
• In 2010, then-Congressman Walz cosponsored the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act of 2010, which would increase the liability of parties responsible for damages associated with oil spills from offshore facilities.