East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, Inc. v. City of Minneapolis

The Minnesota Court of Appeals found that the City of Minneapolis’s environmental-assessment worksheet (EAW) for the proposed expansion of a water maintenance facility was complete and accurate in compliance with applicable authorities. Among the arguments rejected by the court was a contention that the EAW did not address the project’s climate change impacts. The court first stated that a 2019 nonprecedential decision did not establish a requirement that EAWs must consider greenhouse gas emissions. The court further found that in this case, Minneapolis included data on current greenhouse gas emissions and projected increases in emissions. In addition, the court noted that the City had indicated in responses to public comments that it would rely on its Climate Action Plan and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s recommended green practices to mitigate the project’s climate change effects.