SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed transformative legislation that will tackle the climate crisis and create good jobs. House File 7 establishes new clean energy goals for the state and puts Minnesota on a path to produce 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.
Rep. Liz Olson (DFL – Duluth) voted for the bill.
“Climate change is impacting the livability of our communities, our state, and our planet. For years, Minnesotans of all ages and backgrounds have been calling on leaders to take urgent action,” Rep. Olson said. “By advancing this key priority to move us to 100% renewable energy, Minnesota can continue to be a nationwide leader as we move to a clean energy future, leaving fossil fuels and their harmful carbon emissions behind.”
According to the University of Minnesota, the state of Minnesota is one of the fastest-warming states in the nation. In 2007, a DFL House, DFL Senate, and a Republican Governor enacted the Next Generation Energy Act, which sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% from 2005 levels by 2050. According to a 2021 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) report, the state is not on track to meet its clean energy goals, with emissions declining just eight percent from 2005 levels.
Over the past four years the Minnesota House has voted twice to improve upon the state’s clean energy goals, most recently in 2021 when legislators approved a Commerce and Energy budget that established the same 100% by 2040 clean energy goals legislators voted for today. Twenty-one other states have already established a 100% clean-energy standard or goal.
The same bill is advancing in the Minnesota Senate, where it passed the Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate Committee just yesterday. Gov. Walz included the same policy in his budget proposal for fiscal years 2024-2025, and has included the policy in past budget proposals.