Friends,
We survived the extreme cold and now a foot or more of snow in the middle of this week. Welcome to Minnesota for anyone new here! Stay warm, safe on the roads, and have a great weekend!
Line 3
This week I joined a number of my House & Senate Colleagues in sending a letter to Governor Walz urging him to support the Line 3 project and take the state of Minnesota out of any further action to delay construction of this important project. See the letter in full and a quick video below.
Dear Governor Walz:
We are writing you in regard to the Enbridge Line 3 Replacement Project. We strongly encourage you to support the project and direct state agencies to complete the permitting process that would allow this critically important project to move forward.
Furthermore, in light of the recent decision by the Minnesota Court of Appeals to dismiss the Commerce Department’s appeal of the project, we urge your administration not to file a petition for reconsideration challenging the unanimous vote by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to grant the certificate of need.
We believe after more than 3 ½ years of review and evaluation of the project by state and federal experts, 65 public meetings by state agencies, three weeks of evidentiary hearings by the Administrative Law Judge, tens of thousands of public comments, and the unanimous votes by the PUC, it is clearly time for the process to continue.
Minnesota has strong and robust environmental rules as well as an extremely thorough review process that balances the need to protect the environment and our state’s economy. The replacement for Line 3 will be a state-of-the-art pipeline that meets or exceeds environmental and safety standards as well as using industry best practices and technology. Making sure the project moves forward is an important opportunity for Minnesota to demonstrate its economic and environmental leadership to do things right for people and businesses across Minnesota.
Taking all of this into account, we strongly encourage you and your administration to support the Line 3 Replacement. Not only will it allow Minnesota to replace an aging pipeline, but it will also create the largest privately financed construction project in our state’s history.
Renewable Energy Mandate
This week, Democrat House & Senate members announced plans to impose a 100 percent “carbon-free” energy standard on the state’s electric utilities. The House Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Committee heard a bill to do that this week.
We all agree that clean energy is a good thing and preserving the environment for future generations is something we need to do. However, the DFL’s proposal is a radical proposition that will cause energy prices to soar and negatively impact local communities that rely on the energy industry for jobs and property tax revenues.
This proposal is another example of Democrats governing for their metro-centric base, not caring about the harm that will take place outside of their bubble. You can expect to hear more about this as the session moves on.
Stay in Touch
Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts or concerns. My phone number is 651-296-4265 or you can email me at rep.matt.grossell@house.mn.
Have a great weekend and God Bless!
Matt