Among the many groups visiting St. Paul this week, I enjoyed meeting with folks from Pine County Soil and Water (above) and 2nd Amendment supporters (below).
Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to news from the House, I want to thank Moose Lake corrections warden, Brian Collins, and staff for allowing me to tour the facility and learn more about their operation. I also was pleased to meet with local officials from the city of Moose Lake to discuss shared issues and concerns that impact our communities. Today, I have a ride-along scheduled with Pine County corrections and expect to come away with some valuable insight. Thanks again to everyone who made these productive visits possible.
As for the latest from St. Paul, House Democrats late last night approved legislation which increases consumer energy prices by thousands of dollars per year, reduces power reliability and ultimately compromises safety.
The bill (H.F. 7) extends and increases Minnesota’s renewable energy standard to 55 percent by 2035 and requires electric utilities in the state to generate or acquire 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040.
A report from the Center of the American Experiment estimates the Walz/Democrat plan to move to 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2040 will cost $313 billion, or nearly $3,900 per family per year. Dotseth said the same study indicates the return on these massive consumer costs would be negligible at best, paying to potentially avert 0.00096 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100.
This Blackout Bill would be a major burden on Minnesotans and it especially concerns me the damage it could cause our elderly and vulnerable citizens. People already are struggling with higher energy costs. How in the world would we afford to simply keep our heat and lights on with the higher costs that would result from this proposal?
Reliability is another major concern with this bill. All blackouts are bad, but winter blackouts in Minnesota could pose great dangers that House Democrats are not taking seriously.
The weather-related power outages people in our area recently suffered for days on end gave us a fresh reminder of the threats a widespread blackout could pose Minnesotans. This was just a taste of what could happen, and I hope it opened some eyes to the importance of a reliable energy grid fueled by diverse sources.
The Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator currently has reported a 1,200-megawatt capacity shortfall, indicating Minnesota already doesn’t have enough reliable power-plant capacity online to meet expected peak electricity demand. MISO warnings of capacity shortfalls for peak periods will become more commonplace if our state continues to rely more on intermittent, weather-dependent energy sources as House Democrats propose.
Republicans offered amendments intended to improve H.F. 7, including by allowing generation and transmission outfits to evaluate their own criteria on whether to modify or delay standard obligations. This takes the decision-making away from the Public Utilities Commission and provides a more flexible, common-sense approach allowing for market-based solutions instead of government mandates.
House Democrats blocked that amendment and other Republican proposals before approving the bill and sending it to the Senate.
I’m all for safe, clean energy driven by advancements in the private sector instead of our government forcing mandates on our state before adequate technology and infrastructure are in place to support growing demand. Let’s focus more on new nuclear technology and carbon capture and storage as lower-cost alternatives for reducing carbon emissions. In fact, I’m looking at other legislation that will help our environment and help deliver clean energy in our state.
Watch for more from the Capitol soon, including updated notes on bills I am authoring. Have a good weekend and let me know how I can help.
Sincerely,
Jeff