Dear Neighbors,
I hope you have plans to stay warm over the weekend. At the Legislature we are continuing our efficient pace as we move to enact much needed laws for our wonderful state. Here is some of what I worked on this week.
100% Clean Energy
This week we passed the transformative House File 7 which establishes new clean energy goals for the state and puts Minnesota on a path to produce 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. This bill will help us tackle the climate crisis and create good jobs.
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. Twenty-one other states have already established a 100% clean-energy standard or goal.
It is clear that we must do a lot more to ensure our next generations have a safe and stable future. This bill will go a long way toward making this goal a reality.
Fighting Forever Chemicals
You may have heard about polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are prevalent toxic chemicals. PFAS chemicals are linked to immune system disorders, lower birth weights, infertility, lower IQ in children, thyroid issues, and deadly cancers. If you haven’t, you can learn about them here. We recently announced several bills to restrict the use of these chemicals and to clean them from our environment and water. Watch the emotional press conference on this issue here.
Intern for a Day
My office launched its first Intern for a Day high school program for the 2023 session and it was awesome!
What a fantastic group of students joined us to learn how their State government works - they watched a committee hearing live, talked with many other state representatives and committee chairs from all over the State of Minnesota, visited the House floor, met with Capitol Security, lobbyists and the chief clerk of the House of Representatives to find out more about their roles and so much more. I was very impressed by these young leaders.
Many thanks to my Intern Director, Kelly Striet and assistant Matthew for making the day a success - and all the students for joining us.
Stay in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime at rep.heather.edelson@house.mn or 651-296-4363 with your input or questions. You’re also welcome to follow me or ‘like’ my official Facebook page for additional updates.
Do you want to visit the Capitol or have an issue you want community members to know about to be included in my newsletter? Please email rep.heather.edelson@house.mn.gov.
Thank you for the honor of representing our Edina residents and families in the Minnesota House!
Sincerely,
Heather Edelson
State Representative