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PAGE 2 mi SUSTAINABILITY NEWSLETTER State Electric Vehicle Rebates open February 7 The MN Department of Commerce Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Program opens for applications at 10 a.m. Wednesday, February 7, 2024. The State of Minnesota has limited funds for EV rebates. When the program launches on February 7, completed applications will be reviewed on a first -come, first - served basis. What EVs qualify? • Vehicles may be new or used. • Vehicles must be either electric or plug-in hybrid. • Vehicles must be purchased or leased on or after May 25, 2023. • Vehicles must be titled in Minnesota. • New vehicles must have base MSRP of $55,000 or less, excluding taxes and fees. Used vehicles must have a purchase price of $25,000 or less. How much money can I get for my EV? • Rebates are up to $2,500 for new EVs. • Rebates are up to $600 for used EVs Is there an income requirement to be eligible for an EV rebate? • No, there is not an income eligibility component to the EV rebate program. More information and a link to the application (when live) will be available at the Department of Commerce EV website. What's with this weird winter? A Whether you're a winter sports enthusiast or a winter "stay inside" en- thusiast, you've probably noticed that this winter has been a little... odd. In fact, while the weather seems mild, it's been historically warm —if we were experiencing a heat wave of this intensity in summer rather than winter, conditions could potentially be life -threatening. So what's happening? First, we are currently experiencing a strong El Nino, which means warm ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean affect regular weather patterns. These conditions are currently keeping cold air confined to northern Canada. El Nino and its counter- part, La Nina (where ocean surface temperatures are colder than usu- al), typically occurs semi -regularly. However, combine El Nino with the effects of climate change — Photo by Gem ma Evanson Unsplash which are already making Minnesota winters milder overall —and we are now experiencing extra -warm conditions. Additionally, the ef- fects of climate change can increase the frequency of strong El Nino episodes. A great resource to follow is the State Climatology Office's Climate Journal, which typically provides at least a few updates per month about what's happening with weather. Their latest entry provides an overview of the bizarre winter we've been having, and the January 2024 recap also talks about the surprising lack of sunny days in what is usually one of Minnesota's sunnier months. Checkout the WCCO story featuring Roseville's Public Works' experience with the lack of snow this winterl Page 15 of 71