Dear Neighbors,
It’s been a busy week in St. Paul as committee hearings and floor debates have kicked into high gear. Sadly, the Democrat majority in the House has been pushing largely controversial and divisive bills with zero input from Republicans or the general public.
The most recent example is House File 7. This bill extends and increases Minnesota’s renewable energy standard to 55 percent by 2035 and requires electric utilities in the state to generate or acquire 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040. This means no coal and no natural gas.
I have grave concerns about the ways this bill will impact consumer energy prices, reduce power reliability and its probable unconstitutionality.
On consumer prices, a report from the Center of the American Experiment estimates the plan to move to 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2040 will cost $313 billion, or nearly $3,900 per family per year.
This bill will wreak havoc on family budgets that are already having to deal with the negative consequences of high inflation.
House File 7 will make our energy unreliable because it would not provide the base power generation that we need to heat and power our homes, businesses, and schools. Other states, like California, that have implemented similar mandates like the ones in this bill have suffered from blackouts. Here in Minnesota, we cannot risk similar blackouts, especially in the middle of winter.
Finally, the bill is likely unconstitutional because it may violate the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. North Dakota has already warned that if the legislation is signed into law as it’s currently written, they may bring a lawsuit against Minnesota.
Again, pursuing clean energy that is renewable, reliable, and cheap is something worth considering. As technology continues to develop, it’ll make some of these goals more realistic. In the meantime, we have to operate in reality. This bill is a bad deal for Minnesota.
Walz Releases Budget Proposal
On Tuesday, Governor Walz released details of his two-year budget proposal. Generally speaking, the governor’s budget proposal is a conversation starter and communicates the spending and policy priorities of the administration. In total, Walz’s budget seeks to spend $65 billion—this is a nearly 25% increase over the budget that was approved in 2021.
Such a massive increase in spending and government growth is reckless and unsustainable.
Further, Walz is looking to increase taxes as part of his budget. This is tone deaf at a time when the state has a $17.5 billion budget surplus. We should be looking to give that surplus back to you through permanent and lasting tax relief. Instead, Walz is looking to give back only a portion of the surplus while raising your taxes.
I look forward to digging into the budget proposal in greater detail in the coming days and weeks.
Staying in Touch
Please be sure to reach out to me to share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4333 or via email at rep.josh.heintzeman@house.mn.gov
God bless,
Josh