https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/minneapolis-city-council-overrides-mayors-veto-on-carbon-fees/The measure introduced by Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley will charge businesses $452 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed the 2025 license fee schedule after its initial passage earlier this month, advising that it was the city attorney’s opinion that the city had no legal authority to charge a fee without an accompanying ordinance requiring registration or an established regulatory program.
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A 9-2 council supermajority overrode Frey’s veto on Thursday.
To allay some of the Frey administration’s concerns, the City Council pushed back the implementation date from January 31 to July 1 and put forth a resolution to establish funds within the Health Department to regulate a PCAR program for CO2 equivalents. Council members also directed the city to complete a study of carbon fees in case the rate needs to be updated before implementation.
“Climate change is an emergency,” Wonsley said in a statement. “… Since 2021, Minneapolis residents have organized to demand that Council pass a fee on carbon emissions, a major contributor to climate change. I’m proud that the Council took action that will help remove about 605 tons of carbon emissions from the atmosphere next year alone, and that the big polluters will cover the cost of the program, not working-class residents.”
