# Presentation: 810411

## Minnesota Shines Light on High GWP Gases  

- Allison Wolf
- Legislative Director
- Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

## Overview

- Minnesota’s unique perspective
- Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
- Our work on climate change
- The development of our legislation on high Global Warming Potential Gases
- The components of the new law
- Tips for other states

## Another Natural Wonder of the World

## A State with “natural air conditioning”

- Our thousands of lakes provide natural air conditioning
- Minnesota has the coldest winter temperatures in the nation

## Fun in “Ice Box of the Nation”

## But it gets hot in Minnesota too....

- Minnesota’s weather ranges from 60 degrees below zero to 100 degrees on the hottest of summer days

## A State that Appreciates “Sunshine”

- Minnesota believes that information can promote change
- Pharmaceutical companies must disclose payments to doctors
- Data privacy laws require public access to information
- Lobbyists must disclose all costs of lobbying

## Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA)

- The legal and scientific voice protecting and defending Minnesota’s environment

## Recent MCEA Legislative Successes

- Clean Water Legacy
- Great Lakes Compact
- Renewable energy standard
- Environmental Health Tracking
- Dedicated funding for habitat and clean water
- Funding for Transit, Roads and Bridges
- Energy Efficiency—carbon neutral by 2030

## Protecting Our Region from Global Warming

- Artist’s rendering of Big Stone II from www.bigstoneii.com

- Litigation to stop new coal plants
- Renewable Electricity Goals
- Energy Efficiency Efforts

## Advocating for Better Transit Options

## Minnesota’s Climate Change Plan	

- Governor appointed a 55-member stakeholder group
- Center for Climate Strategies facilitated
- MCEA Board member Chuck Dayton appointed by Governor
- Chuck Dayton pushed through a recommendation on High GWP gases

## High GWP recommendation

- Minnesota’s Climate Change group addressed High Potential Greenhouse Gases
- The group recommended a rulemaking to phase out use of the gases where cost-effective substitutes are available
- The recommendation was unanimously supported and had one of the lowest costs

## Developing Minnesota’s Legislation	

- We had to develop specific legislation rather than a general rulemaking
- We decided to draft legislation as a first step in addressing high GWP emissions
- Experts suggested we consider addressing Mobile Air Conditioning

## Minnesota Legislation:  Major Components

- Posting of MAC leakage rates for new cars
- Reporting requirement to gain understanding of emission sources
- Options for phasing out products
- Originally banned small “DIY” cans of refrigerant, as our neighbor Wisconsin has done

## Posting of Leakage Rates 

- State websites will post leakage rates of new vehicle models
- Leakage rates determined with SAE International J2727
- Vehicle manufacturers submit leakage rates 90 days before selling a new model in the state
- Reports required beginning January 2009

## Reporting Requirement 

- Reports by purchasers and manufacturers
- To Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- -- Of total amounts after October 1, 2008
- HFCs, PFCs, or SF6 (500 MTCO2e or more)

## Options for Phasing out Products

- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- Must report to the legislature in 2009
- Must list options for phasing out high GWP substances
- Where cost effective
- Where substitutes available

## Slide 21

## We agreed to removal of the “can ban” 	

- No organized opposition emerged
- The “can ban” got all the attention:  “My wife just recharged her car air conditioner by herself! Are you going to ban her from doing that?”
- One legislator said the bill was drafted by someone with a ponytail eating granola under a tree.
- We agreed to remove the “can ban” to avoid a messy battle on the House floor

## Advice for other states		

- Build on momentum in your state
- Climate change plan
- Industry-government partnership
- Be ambitious but realistic
- Include provisions in the bill that you are willing to remove

## Seek expert advice

- Experts were critical to our success
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- SAE International
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- California Air Resources Board

## Work for Support	

- Emphasize need to involve all sectors of economy in climate change efforts:  FAIRNESS
- Work with seasoned, effective legislators
- Emphasize low cost and even potential cost savings

## Minnesota Legislation	

- Websites with MAC leakage rates will be available at _[www.pca.mn.us/](http://www.pca.mn.us/)_ (Pollution Control Agency) and _[www.ag.state.mn.us/](http://www.ag.state.mn.us/)_ (Attorney General).
- The text of the Minnesota Legislation can be found at this link: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/laws/?id=296&doctype=Chapter&year=2008&type=0

## What lies ahead

- Our state’s climate change plan calls for 46 actions
- All must be accomplished
- Many are difficult
- Multi-faceted approach will be needed
- “Knowledge is power”
- We feel the 2008 legislation lays the groundwork for future action

## Glacier National Park

- 1910:  150 Glaciers           Today:  30 glaciers

## Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

**Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy**
**•**
**www.mncenter.org**

## The new leakage rate law

- Sec. 23. _**[216H.12] MOBILE AIR CONDITIONER LEAKAGE RATES; **__**DISCLOSURE.**_    _Subdivision 1._ _**Leakage disclosure.**_ _Beginning January 1, 2009, a manufacturer __selling or offering for sale a new motor vehicle in this state containing a mobile air __conditioner that uses the high-GWP greenhouse gas HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) __as a refrigerant must, 90 days prior to the initial sale or offer for sale, report to the __commissioner the leakage rate, in grams of refrigerant per year, for the type of mobile __air conditioner contained in that make, model, and model year. The leakage rate must __be calculated using the information provided in the most recently published version of __the SAE International document J2727, "HFC-134a Mobile Air Conditioning System __Emission Chart." The method by which the leakage rate is calculated, accounting for each __component of the air conditioning unit, must also be reported to the commissioner._   _._

## The new leakage rate law

-  _Subd. 2._ _**Posting.**_ _Beginning January 1, 2009, the agency and the Office of the __Attorney General must post on their Web sites:_    _(1) the leakage rate disclosed by a manufacturer under subdivision 1 for each model __and make of new motor vehicle sold or offered for sale in this state; and_    _(2) the following statement: "Vehicle air conditioning systems may leak refrigerants. __Information provided in the chart compares the potential global warming effects of __refrigerant leakage from different makes and models of vehicles."__**EFFECTIVE DATE.**__This section is effective the day following final enactment_

## Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

**Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy**
**•**
**www.mncenter.org**