Three years on, Minnesota’s climate change initiative spurring projects across the state 

Another summer-like day, another air quality alert. Now almost an annual recurrence, hazy skies from Canadian wildfire smoke beg the question: If the underlying cause is climate change, what are we doing about it? In Minnesota, it’s quite a lot.

While efforts to address climate have faced a setback in Congress — where a massive budget bill would cut tax credits for green energy projects in Minnesota — state agencies, communities and citizens continue to plan and initiate projects that implement the state’s Climate Action Framework, an initiative created to help prepare the state for climate change.

Leading that effort is Kate Knuth, the climate director with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

In 2007, Knuth was elected to the Minnesota House. She served three terms, introduc