Dear Neighbor,
There’s an old saying that “elections have consequences.” As true as that may be, the extreme bills House Democrats are fast-tracking through the process this session are so far out of touch with everyday Minnesotans I don’t know where to start.
Maybe we could begin with House Democrat legislation requiring electric utilities to generate or acquire 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040. The majority presented this “Blackout Bill” to the House committee on energy Wednesday and promptly approved it despite significant concerns over how this would undermine the cost and reliability of power in our state.
Minnesota’s energy prices used to be less than the national average, but liberal, metro-centric policies have put us in much worse position. According to one report, the average cost of electricity for Minnesota’s large electric users rose 91 percent since 2002, while nationwide, the average cost for large users increased 42 percent. Minnesota’s ranking in this category during this time changed from 34th highest to 12th highest.
Along the way, our grid’s reliability also has been diminished. Another report indicates the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO) currently has a 1,200-megawatt capacity shortfall, which means we already don’t have enough reliable power plant capacity online to meet expected peak electricity demand.
It’s quite clear this bill House Democrats are pushing would only further increase costs and reduce reliability. It is beyond concerning to think liberal Democrats could drive us to potentially catastrophic blackouts before we can start making decisions based on reality and geared toward affordable, reliable energy instead of forcing pipe dreams on Minnesotans.
The type of radical policies Minnesota House Democrats are pushing already are causing havoc elsewhere and here is an interesting article regarding the rationing of German electricity as EVs and heat pumps threaten the collapse of local power grids.
House Democrats brought another extreme bill to the forefront Thursday, this time for a vote of the full House. The Democrat majority approved (with all Republicans unified in opposition) legislation which makes abortion, already legal in Minnesota, available at any time during a pregnancy and with no guardrails. The bill does nothing to ensure a woman seeking an abortion receives one in a safe or licensed environment. According to the bill, second- or third- term abortions do not need to take place in a hospital, despite posing medical risks.
This bill would make Minnesota an outlier on abortion, putting our laws on par with radical regimes such as North Korea and China. Their extreme stance on abortion is out of touch with average Minnesotans and threatens the health and safety of mothers and unborn children.
House Republicans offered numerous common-sense amendments to at least improve their radical bill, but Democrats blocked each reasonable attempt and used their majority status to pass their own over-the-top legislation. It is now in the hands of the Senate.
There are a whole lot more extreme House Democrat bills moving their way through the process so this could be a recurring theme in coming weeks. Meanwhile, there’s no progress to report on bills providing tax relief from the state’s $18 billion surplus and public safety improvements that are necessary to combat violent crimes which remain abnormally high.
Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Shane