Minnesota officially becomes the First Clean Car State in the Midwest

It's Official! Minnesota is the First Clean Car State in the Midwest

Congratulations,MinnesotaToday, Minnesota officially becomes the 15th Clean Car state in the nation, in addition to the District of Columbia, and the first one in the Midwest. This announcement comes as the clean car standards have been filed with the state register concluding the end of the rulemaking process. This rule tightens tailpipe emissions standards for new passenger cars and trucks sold in Minnesota and requires that more electric vehicles are available for sale.

People across Minnesota, especially rural residents, will benefit from the clean car standards. Clean cars will help reduce vehicle emissions and improve vehicle mileage. This cuts climate pollution and saves rural drivers money every day on fuel costs. We also benefit from more vehicle choice and breathing cleaner air.

Clean cars is possible because people across the state—in cities and rural communities—showed their support! These people helped to make the case for common-sense steps to help all Minnesotans be part of a clean transportation and clean energy future. We are already living with the effects of a changing climate and know that we can’t wait to protect what we love most in Minnesota.

EV’s aren’t a regular sight on our rural Minnesota roads yet — in fact Scott might be one of the first rural Minnesota EV drivers — but he certainly won’t be the last, thanks to Minnesota leading the way on Clean Cars in the Midwest.

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Kelsey Olson

Kelsey Olson

Director of Environmental Stewardship

Kelsey Olson (she/her) joined CURE in 2025 as its Director of Environmental Stewardship. As a skilled environmental naturalist, Kelsey’s work focuses broadly on environmental education and advocacy with a keen focus on rural land use and how that use impacts our environment and climate. Working Lands, how land is used to support agriculture and forestry, is a key focus of her work. She brings 15 years’ experience in public communication, environmental education, and rural community engagement – strong communication strategies are core in her work. This includes two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the VISTA program in Oregon and Maryland and a nearly 10-year career as a naturalist followed. She recently worked on communications and marketing for rural economic development.

Kelsey lives in New London, MN, with her young children, husband, dog, and two cats. They enjoy spending time together outside and finding small treasures in nature. Visits to Minneapolis often include visits to one of their favorite historical museums, the Minnesota Swedish Institute. Kelsey enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, whether this is canning local produce, making kombucha, or other treats!