Because we can't wait
We’re experiencing a collective time of change unlike any other in human history, and Minnesota’s transition to clean energy hangs in the balance. With the federal government rolling back environmental protections, we can’t look away for one moment. Fresh Energy is here for you, keeping climate and energy front and center.
As society creates a new normal and charts a path for the future, Fresh Energy is shaping and driving actions to ensure our recovery from COVID-19 is rooted in a strong, equitable clean energy economy.
Your support will keep our team charging full steam ahead to speed Minnesota’s transition to a clean and equitable energy system—leveraging opportunities for systems change and ensuring that Minnesota will continue moving forward, not backward, on climate action at this crucial time.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the help of supporters like you, Fresh Energy has taken action to:
- Advocate for Crucial Updates to Existing Minnesota Energy Programs. The ECO Act, an important energy efficiency bill, has been progressing through the Minnesota legislature with bipartisan support. The ECO Act is a key part of Governor Walz’s One Minnesota Path to Clean Energy and has long been a policy priority for Fresh Energy staff. With its major updates to existing energy efficiency and electrification measures, as well as job and economic development initiatives, ECO stands to be one of the most significant pieces of recent Minnesota energy legislation.
- Push back on unprecedented attacks on federal clean air protections. The federal government is moving forward with tailpipe emissions rollbacks—an irresponsible and reckless action. Moves like this starkly illustrate the importance of state-level action, including the Clean Cars Minnesota rulemaking Fresh Energy has helped advance with Governor Tim Walz and his administration. Clean Cars Minnesota will reduce emissions from vehicles and give Minnesota consumers more vehicle choices—an obvious way to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector in our state. If the federal government won’t lead, Minnesota will.
- Shape a more equitable and accessible energy system. States across the country, including Minnesota, are taking unparalleled measures to protect utility customers, shedding light on the systemic inequities present within our current energy system. Fresh Energy is pivoting to identify how we can turn our current volatility into an inflection point for our expectations for an energy system that serves all Minnesotans.
- Advance zero-carbon electricity and a modern grid through utility decisions. Multiple processes are underway at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, and the stakes are high. Utilities and their regulators are deciding now about how to modernize the grid, how much to invest in wind and solar, and when to close coal plants. Fresh Energy is the front line nonprofit leader shaping and advocating for the strongest possible momentum, ensuring we solidify our transition away from coal and natural gas and toward clean, low-cost, zero-carbon options.
There is so much more we are doing—and so much more that needs to be done. The current economic and health challenges are threatening our work on clean energy and climate. And we can’t let that happen. You believe in the importance of Fresh Energy’s work and we need you now more than ever. Please make a gift to Fresh Energy today.