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Environmental News
Cari Spencer

Federal money to tackle food waste and climate pollution flows to Minnesota in the fall

A group of people pose for a photo
Gov. Tim Walz announced a grant at The Food Group, a food security and equity nonprofit, on Tuesday.
Cari Spencer | MPR News

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The state is set to receive a $200 million grant to reduce food waste and climate pollution across the state, Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday. 

Officials say money will start to arrive in October, going toward projects that decarbonize food systems while keeping Minnesotans sustainably fed. That includes electrifying farm vehicles, partnering with tribal governments to improve food sovereignty and restoring 10,000 acres of peatlands, which absorb carbon. 

The Minnesota Climate-Smart Food Systems project is led by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. About 25 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, the agency reports.  

“The reality of climate change in Minnesota has never felt so close to home. You see the amount of rain we’re getting, you saw the warmest winter on record,” said MPCA commissioner Katrina Kessler. “The magnitude of this $200 million dollar investment demonstrates the urgency with which we must act.” 

Kessler said the state will have five years to use the money and while many programs and partners across the state have already been identified, there may be opportunities for more to apply. 

The grant will also go toward programs to keep food waste out of landfills and provide aid to farmers, as well as new technology at food and organic waste processing sites. MPCA climate and energy coordinator Faith Krogstad said she’s particularly excited about grants for local food and tribal food sovereignty.

“That is a really community-driven way that we’re going to get local projects off the ground to decarbonize our food systems, save people money, reduce pollution, including air pollution and water pollution, and make sure that people have healthy food access,” Krogstad said.

Gov. Walz celebrated plans to improve food security for low-income communities, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

“We know if a child can have a safe place to live, can have enough food in their belly, they get an opportunity to go to school, to learn, to thrive,” he said.

The EPA’s grant program will fund 24 other projects from state, tribal and local governments and is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons by 2050. 

The program was created under the Inflation Reduction Act, a policy signed by President Joe Biden in 2022 that has been called the largest federal investment in climate action.