§ 473.3927 — Zero-emission and Electric Transit Vehicles
Plain-Language Summary
This section requires the Metropolitan Council to develop and maintain a plan to transition its transit fleet to exclusively zero-emission and electric vehicles. The council had to revise the plan by February 15, 2025, and must revise it at least once every three years after each prior revision. The plan must include a procurement strategy so that, beginning January 1, 2035, any qualified transit bus the council buys for regular route or special transportation service is a zero-emission transit bus (one designed for public transit, carrying more than 15 passengers including the driver, and producing no exhaust-based greenhouse gas emissions). The plan must also address matters such as transition milestones, cost estimates and funding, electric grid capacity, workforce impacts, and prioritizing deployment in environmental justice areas and areas with poor air quality.
473.3927 ZERO-EMISSION AND ELECTRIC TRANSIT VEHICLES.
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Subdivision 1.
[Renumbered subd 1b] §
Subd. 1a.Definitions.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given.
(b) “Greenhouse gas emissions” includes those emissions described in section 216H.01, subdivision 2.
(c) “Qualified transit bus” means a motor vehicle that meets the requirements under paragraph (d), clauses (1) and (2).
(d) “Zero-emission transit bus” means a motor vehicle that:
(1) is designed for public transit service;
(2) has a capacity of more than 15 passengers, including the driver; and
(3) produces no exhaust-based greenhouse gas emissions from the onboard source of motive power of the vehicle under all operating conditions. §
Subdivision 1b.Transition plan required.
(a) The council must develop and maintain a zero-emission and electric transit vehicle transition plan.
(b) The council must revise the plan by February 15, 2025, and revise the plan at least once every three years following each prior revision. §
Subd. 2.Plan development.
At a minimum, the plan must:
(1) establish policies, guidance, and recommendations to implement the transition to a transit service fleet of exclusively zero-emission and electric transit vehicles, including for recipients of financial assistance under section 473.388;
(2) establish a bus procurement transition strategy so that beginning on January 1, 2035, any qualified transit bus purchased for regular route transit service or special transportation service under section 473.386 by the council is a zero-emission transit bus;
(3) consider methods for transit providers to maximize greenhouse gas reduction in addition to zero-emission transit bus procurement, including but not limited to service expansion, reliability improvements, and other transit service improvements;
(4) analyze greenhouse gas emission reduction from transit improvements identified under clause (3) in comparison to the zero-emission transit bus procurement strategy under clause (2);
(5) set transition milestones or performance measures, or both, which may include vehicle procurement goals over the transition period in conjunction with the strategy under clause (2);
(6) identify barriers, constraints, and risks, and determine objectives and strategies to address the issues identified;
(7) consider findings and best practices from other transit agencies;
(8) analyze zero-emission and electric transit vehicle technology impacts, including cold weather operation and emerging technologies;
(9) prioritize deployment of zero-emission transit buses based on the extent to which service is provided to environmental justice areas, as defined in section 116.065, subdivision 1;
(10) consider opportunities to prioritize the deployment of zero-emissions vehicles in areas with poor air quality;
(11) consider opportunities to prioritize deployment of zero-emission transit buses along arterial and highway bus rapid transit routes, including methods to maximize cost effectiveness with bus rapid transit construction projects;
(12) provide detailed estimates of implementation costs to implement the plan and achieve the transition under clause (2), which, to the extent feasible, must include a forecast of annual expenditures, identification of potential sources of funding, and a summary of any anticipated or planned activity to seek additional funds;
(13) examine capacity, constraints, and potential investments in the electric transmission and distribution grid, in consultation with appropriate public utilities;
(14) identify methods to coordinate necessary facility upgrades in a manner that maximizes cost effectiveness and overall system reliability;
(15) examine workforce impacts under the transition plan, including but not limited to changes in staffing complement; personnel skill gaps and needs; and employee training, retraining, or role transitions; and
(16) summarize updates to the plan from the most recent version. §
Subd. 3.Copy to legislature.
Upon completion or revision of the plan, the council must provide a copy to the chairs, ranking minority members, and staff of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over transportation policy and finance.
History:
1Sp2021 c 5 art 4 s 117; 2024 c 127 art 3 s 106,132
History: History: 1Sp2021 c 5 art 4 s 117; 2024 c 127 art 3 s 106,132