Minnesota Organizations Launch Statewide Clean Heat Campaign

MWEJN partner organization COPAL (Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina) has teamed up with over thirty organizations and nonprofit groups across the state of Minnesota to lead the Clean Heat Minnesota Campaign. Working with co-lead organizations Fresh Energy, a clean energy policy nonprofit, and Citizens Utility Board, a Minnesota-based consumer advocacy group, the coalition hopes to curb residential greenhouse gas emissions across the state by transitioning Minnesota homes to electric cooking and heating appliances. 

Minnesota aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050–a global goal that needs to be met in order to keep atmospheric warming below 1.5 celsius. Over the years, the state has made progress in reducing emissions, but emissions from residential buildings have slowly increased by 14% since 2005, according to a 2023 state report, “Greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota 2005-2020.” The primary culprits of these residential emissions are primarily heating systems and kitchen appliances like gas stoves and ovens. Federal and statewide funding incentives to transition homes to clean heating and cooking systems like induction ovens exist, but knowledge of these incentives, how to access them, and language barriers all remain as major public access roadblocks.  

Now, Clean Heat Minnesota hopes to remove roadblocks to these incentives by increasing public awareness of the need to transition energy sources and helping residents and organizations navigate the incentive programs. In recent Sahan Journal news coverage of the campaign, COPAL associate executive director Carolina Ortiz notes that this transition not only benefits the environment, but also creates healthier home environments. A 2022 Consumer Report study cited some 13% of childhood asthma cases as being attributed to gas kitchen appliance use in the home. The coalition will help Minnesota residents access federal and statewide funding incentives for transitioning to clean heating and cooking appliances in their homes, while also removing language barriers and negotiating public buy-in around electric cooking appliances.