In May 2021, an Administrative Law Judge in Minnesota ruled that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) could move forward with its Clean Cars Minnesota Program, which will see the state adopt low- and zero-emissions vehicle rules similar to those adopted first in California. The decision to greenlight the program, which would become final after additional procedural steps, effectively means Minnesota will become the first Midwest state to adopt a Clean Cars program to introduce more zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) together with cleaner internal-combustion engine vehicles into the state.
According to a program study, the standards will:
- Deliver saving on average of $1,600 to new vehicle purchasers over the life of their vehicles thanks primarily to fuel savings;
- Reduce hundreds to thousands of tons of smog-forming pollutants annually together with millions of tons of climate change pollution
- Expand consumer access to electric vehicles while delivering hundreds of millions in fuel-related savings to the state.
The program will adopt the Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) and Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) rules for automakers that were developed first by California and joined by a number of other states. The LEV standard requires automakers to continue introducing, over time, cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles that emit less greenhouse gas, smog-forming pollutants, and fine particulate matter. The ZEV program requires manufacturers to offer consumers an increasing number of cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks that are powered by electricity. The requirements are directed toward vehicle manufacturers, not car dealerships, and will increase the number of cleaner, more fuel-efficient models from which consumers can choose.