HF 748 Minnesota House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Project assessment criteria and mitigation activities for vehicle miles traveled requirements amended, and transportation policy goals and greenhouse gas emission targets modified.

HF 748 requires Minnesota transportation agencies to assess new projects against greenhouse gas emission targets and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction goals before including them in state or regional transportation plans. If a project doesn't meet these targets, agencies must either modify the project, add offsetting mitigation measures (like transit expansions or active transportation infrastructure), or halt the project. The bill modifies statutes to define "applicable projects" and sets an effective date of August 1, 2027, for portfolio-level assessments instead of project-by-project reviews. This directly affects state and local transportation planning entities developing projects that must align with statewide climate and mobility goals.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 13, 2025 Last action Mar 13, 2025

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What changed between versions

Introduction → 1st Engrossment · 6 edits · Mar 13, 2025

MODERATE

This bill was updated from its introduction to its first engrossment, incorporating significant substantive changes to Minnesota's greenhouse gas emission assessment rules for transportation projects. The most critical change is the shift from a strict 'must comply' rule to a flexible 'consistency' standard, allowing projects to be evaluated based on net emissions reductions across a portfolio rather than individual projects. Additionally, the timeline for when these strict assessment rules apply was extended from 2027 to 2030, and new mitigation strategies like electric vehicle adoption and solar infrastructure were added to offset emissions.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include a broader definition of 'capacity expansion projects' (lowering the cost threshold from $30 million to $50 million for certain criteria) and added a new category for evaluating collections of trunk highway and multimodal projects together. The applicability date for these new rules was delayed by three years.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the compliance standard from requiring projects to be 'proportionally in conformance' with emission targets to requiring them to be 'consistent' with targets, allowing for net emissions reductions across a portfolio of projects.

Added a new requirement for the commissioner to establish a process for data reporting from local units of government on local multimodal systems and project impacts.

Added a new 'Safety and Well-being' provision allowing the commissioner to exempt urgent traffic safety projects from greenhouse gas assessment requirements.

TIMELINE

Extended the implementation date for mandatory impact assessments from August 1, 2027, to August 1, 2030, delaying the requirement for projects entering the program in fiscal year 2034.

DEFINITION

Added new mitigation offset categories including improvements to fuel efficiency, clean fuel technology, acceleration of electric vehicle adoption, and photovoltaic systems on transportation facilities.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the definition of 'capacity expansion project' to include projects with total construction costs of at least $30 million (previously $50 million) and added a requirement for additional lane miles of at least 5,000 feet.

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Committee

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Introduced

Introduction and first reading, referred to Transportation Finance and Policy

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor