Project Clean Air Repair

Region

Leech Lake Nation and Minneapolis

Timeline

2017 - present

Audience

Funders and partners

Topics

Air

Through Project Clean Air Repair (or Project CAR), Environmental Initiative creates partnerships with car repair shops to reduce emissions from older passenger vehicles. Project CAR reimburses garages for identifying and fixing vehicle exhaust systems in cars of lower-income residents.

Currently, it is estimated that 25% of passenger vehicles cause 90% of vehicle air pollution. Older cars often have outdated or broken emission controls and exhaust equipment. By partnering with garages to repair broken emissions systems, Environmental Initiative is cleaning up some of the highest polluting cars on the road while reducing barriers to reliable transportation.

Partner garages provide low- or no-cost repairs to emission control systems. This allows car owners to reduce their car’s emissions and prioritize paying for other repairs necessary for the safety and drivability of their car.

420

Cars repaired since 2017.

5

Participating partner garages.

23

Tons of emission reductions achieved.

“The amount of exhaust leaking from my car was very toxic to me, as well as to the environment and likely contributed to my health problems, which meant I was unable to work. This repair will greatly improve my health and hopefully I will be able to recover and get back to work.”

Project CAR customer at The Lift Garage

Clean Air Blogs

Experts explain Minnesota’s smoky, hazy summer

Environmental Initiative recently sat down with experts at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to learn more about air quality forecasting, recent air quality trends, and what people can do to stay safe.

Air

Voluntary stove swap program warms homes, cleans air, cuts costs

Do you heat your home with wood? Burn more than two cords of wood per year? Have an appliance that was manufactured before 1992? You might be eligible for Project Stove Swap! We connect Minnesota residents to local vendors to swap out old, inefficient wood burning stoves for newer models.

Air

Collaborative policy victory: Lottery reauthorization for Minnesota

The Minnesota Legislature recently passed the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund renewal bill. This important legislation will put a question before voters to reauthorize Minnesota State Lottery funds for conservation. It also creates a new $20 million per year community grants program.