Saint Paul, Minn. – This evening, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed transformative legislation that establishes new clean energy goals for the state and puts Minnesota on a path to produce 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.
Rep. Mary Frances Clardy (DFL-Inver Grove Heights), a co-author of the legislation, voted in favor of the bill.
“This is a significant piece of legislation that will help our state address climate change head-on and prepare for a carbon-free future,” said Rep. Clardy. “Already, 51% of Americans live in a state that has committed to 100% clean energy. Let’s lead and get this done for future generations.”
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. Gov. Walz included the same policy in his budget proposal for fiscal years 2024-2025, and has included the policy in past budget proposals.
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