HF 4028 Summary

• Amends Minnesota law to require the Metropolitan Council's comprehensive development guide to consider environmental and public health benefits, including combating global warming and protecting undeveloped lands.

• Establishes legislative findings that global warming is real and human-caused, undeveloped lands sequester carbon, and increased residential density in already-developed urban and suburban areas provides environmental and public health benefits.

• Defines "climate mitigation and adaptation" to include greenhouse gas emissions-reduction goals under state law and vehicle miles traveled reduction targets from the statewide multimodal transportation plan.

• Provides that adopting or amending provisions authorizing increased residential density in comprehensive plans, fiscal devices, or official controls does not constitute pollution or environmental destruction under Minnesota law.

• Makes most provisions effective the day following final enactment, with the pollution/destruction exemption retroactively effective from March 1, 2018.