Minnesota gets $200 million to reduce emissions in its food systems

The Environmental Protection Agency is giving Minnesota $200 million to reduce emissions in its food systems.

The money will impact a large swath of the state, from agriculture to food storage to waste reduction.

Kate Knuth – climate director for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – said residents have been feeling the impacts of climate change in recent years, either from drought, wildfire smoke, or flooding.

This investment will try to reduce those impacts, while growing local economies.

“As a result,” said Knuth, “Minnesotans will be healthier, will have more economic opportunity, will be better prepared for climate impacts that are coming.”

The list of specific programs is long. But it includes money for tribal governments, peatland preservation, and low-emissions tractors and refrigerators.

Funding comes from the federal Inflation Reduction Act, and it’s part of a larger $4.3 billion round of pollution grants affecting 30 states.

Knuth said the application process was competitive – but she said she feels her agency was successful because of Minnesota’s track record of maintaining clean water, healthy soil, and flourishing ecosystems.

“This focus on the food system – including agriculture, and transportation, and keeping food cold, and managing the waste,” said Knuth, “that’s something that we as a state are uniquely positioned to lead on. And we’re pretty excited to have this significant investment to do so.”

Food systems are responsible for about a third of global greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the United Nations.