Minnesota has been experiencing unprecedented, unhealthy air quality this summer as smoke moves south from wildfires near the Canadian border. MPCA staff are predicting that we’ll see more air quality alerts until wildfires are controlled, burn out on their own, or are extinguished by rain or snow.

Wildfire smoke contains hundreds of pollutants in the form of tiny particles that can be difficult for our bodies to deal with. Air quality alerts are issued when the amount of pollutants in the air is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups (rated orange) or worse. Lately, large parts of Minnesota have experienced conditions rated red and purple on the air quality index scale, which means the air quality is unhealthy or very unhealthy for everyone.  

During an air quality alert, reduce your personal contribution to unhealthy air quality by limiting activities that burn fuel:

• Postpone backyard fires and grilling
• Don’t use gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment
• Reduce vehicle trips and use public transport or carpool
• Conserve electricity and hot water
• If you can, invest in long-term choices that benefit air quality such as manual or battery-powered lawn and garden equipment, renewable energy sources, and electric vehicles.

To protect your health during an air quality alert: 

• Limit, change, or postpone outdoor physical activity. Take it easy and listen to your body.
• Stay away from local sources of air pollution like busy roads and recreational fires.
• If you have asthma, follow your asthma action plan and make sure you have your relief/rescue inhaler with you.
• Consider setting up a ‘clean room’ in your house to ensure you have a place where you can breathe easy. See the EPA web page on clean rooms for more information.
• Make it easier to plan ahead by signing up for daily air quality forecasts and alert notifications by email, text message, phone, or the Minnesota Air mobile app on the MPCA’s Air Quality Index webpage.

Visit the MPCA’s website to learn about the ways our health is impacted by wood smoke, get answers to frequently asked air alert questions such as how smoke affects our pets, and best practices for burning wood when the wildfire smoke clears.  ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Minnesota’s state agencies want to hear your ideas for climate action. A new online platform is gathering ideas from residents and organizations across the state to help create strategies that protect against climate change.

Governor Tim Walz has directed state agencies to act with urgency on climate change. But government cannot do it alone. For the rest of the year state agencies will engage in conversations with people across the state, encouraging Minnesotans to propose new solutions and ideas that address the climate crisis. In early 2022, the ideas and solutions you contribute will be used to develop a meaningful plan for climate action for Minnesota.

By working collaboratively, we will build climate-resilient communities, protect natural spaces, reduce climate risks to our farms and businesses, and create a homegrown clean economy with good-paying jobs that position Minnesotans for long-term economic success and healthy lives.

Visit the Our Minnesota Climate website to learn more, share ideas, or comment on other people’s suggestions for government, individuals, or industries. 

Four Minnesota Cities – Albert Lea, Burnsville, Faribault, and Maplewood – recently completed Climate Adaptation Plans facilitated by paleBLUEdot. The MPCA provided funding for the project with a 2018 Environmental Assistance Grant. The pandemic which hit mid-way through the project presented unique challenges for community involvement, but creative virtual engagement techniques offered many opportunities for the public to weigh in during plan development for each city.

Air quality impacts of climate change were a key consideration in the climate adaptation plans. Health and safety impacts of climate change related to increased particulate matter and pollen, effects of extreme heat and other weather events on air quality, and the impacts of urban heat island worsening conditions were all addressed in the plans. Find out more about the planning process and read each city’s plan on paleBLUEdot’s webpage.

Transportation remains the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is committed to creating a low-carbon future. MnDOT recently released its fifth annual Sustainability and Public Health Report documenting progress the agency has made toward its sustainability and climate goals. The report is based on data through 2020 and now includes public health and transportation resilience measures.

Progress MnDOT has achieved since 2019 includes:

• Reduced emissions from MnDOT facilities by 39% (goal was 30% reduction)
• Reduced water use at MnDOT by 27% (goal was 15% reduction)
• Converted 97% of highway lighting to LED (100% is the goal).

As much ground as MnDOT gained in 2020, the agency still has work to do:

• The agency is not on track to meet emission reduction goals for the transportation sector (currently at 7%, goal is 30% by 2025)
• MnDOT needs to include more options on its projects and include bicycling improvements in 90% of the projects that identify bicycling needs (currently at 62%)
• Reduce nonmotorized serious injuries and fatalities (trending up in 2020).

View the 2020 Sustainability and Public Health Report and see previous reports on MnDOT’s Sustainability and Public Health website. 

Due to overwhelming demand for past school bus replacement grants, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has announced another funding opportunity for school bus replacements. The MPCA is offering more than $1.7 million in grants to replace old diesel school buses with new, cleaner diesel, propane, or natural gas models.

These grants come in the latest round of funds from the national Volkswagen settlement to help clean up emissions from older diesel vehicles. They aim to reduce diesel emissions and improve air quality and public health by removing older diesel buses from operation and replacing them with new, lower-emitting buses.

Visit the MPCA’s school bus replacement grant webpage for full details and application materials. Applications are due by September 10.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will receive a total of $100 million from the American Rescue Plan to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic, with $50 million specifically to advance environmental justice, and another $50 million to enhance air quality.

EPA will host a webinar from 1-3:30 pm Central on August 17 to provide an overview of the intended distribution of the air quality monitoring funds, with a focus on the competitive grant criteria. In addition, there will be a short overview on the $50 million in funding aimed at advancing environmental justice. The purpose of this session is to discuss the proposed grant solicitation and timelines, answer questions, and receive feedback from environmental justice communities and organizations.

More information about the EPA webinar and registration. 

The City of Otsego‘s Parks and Recreation department started using rechargeable battery-powered string trimmers about a year before learning about MPCA’s alternative landscaping equipment grants. Employees found that switching from gas-powered to electric-powered trimmers was a huge improvement. They were impressed with the convenience of not having to deal with gasoline. They also appreciated the noticeable decrease in vibration and noise with the electric tools. Meanwhile, the community can enjoy quiet parks and cleaner air, with the lack of noise and fumes typically emitted from gas-powered trimmers.

The city received $700 in grant funding from the MPCA for the purchase of a hedge trimmer, four weed whips, and a leaf blower. Replacing these six gas-powered items with battery-powered equipment will reduce emissions of VOCs by 300 pounds, nitrogen oxides by 1 pound, particulate matter by 8.8 pounds, and 1.8 tons carbon monoxide every year.

The department will continue to purchase battery-powered equipment in the future. “Our city has been very supportive of pursuing this grant and the battery-powered equipment” shared Nick Jacobs, Parks and Recreation Operations Coordinator. “We also are proud to promote environmental sustainability and glad to do our part in helping to preserve our planet. We have learned that it truly does hold up as well as the gas-powered equipment and is a great alternative.”

Timberland Outdoor Services Inc. of Golden Valley spent significant time researching equipment before making any purchases. They knew they’d want to commit to one brand so the batteries could be interchangeable between equipment and chargers. During testing, they determined that some equipment would be better suited for battery packs, which can provide a more powerful performance. Other pieces of equipment would be better suited for lighter-weight stand-alone batteries. Ultimately, they determined that the majority of equipment purchased would be the same brand, with the exception of pole saws since a different brand provided significant advantages.

After using the equipment for a season, the operators are happy with the investment. Some of the aspects they enjoy include a significant reduction in operating noise, fewer maintenance events (especially for carburetors), and a complete absence of gas fumes. On work sites, the upgraded equipment draws attention due to the decreased noise and the visual of backpacks and corded equipment. “We often have people come ask us what we are using” shared Shasta Frandrup, President of Timberland Outdoor Services Inc.

The downsides the team encountered are some poor ergonomics due to battery weight on certain equipment and early issues with having to stop work when batteries ran out. However, “with sufficient planning, we have yet to run into a situation where we were not able to complete the task at hand due to dead batteries” said Frandrup.

Financial savings were not the driving force in switching to battery-powered equipment. In fact, savings were not even expected, due to the upfront costs. But switching to electric-powered equipment saves maintenance time – no more carburetors to unclog or broken pull cords to replace.

Timberland Outdoor Services Inc. received over $10,000 in MPCA grant funding to purchase two chainsaws, five hedge trimmer, three pole saws, three power brooms, one cut-off saw, three pole trimmers, four string trimmers, and one mini cultivator. Replacing these twenty-two gas-powered items with battery-powered equipment will reduce emissions of VOCs by over 3,200 pounds, nitrogen oxides by 11.6 pounds, particulate matter by 94.4 pounds, and carbon monoxide by more than 6 tons every year.