Minnesota Senate Approves ‘100 Percent by 2040’ Energy Legislation

(St. Paul, MN) —  Legislation passed by the Senate late Thursday night requires that 100-percent of Minnesota’s electricity will have to be carbon-free by 2040.  Pine City Republican Jason Rarick warned Minnesota utilities will have no negotiating leverage, if they have to buy renewable energy credits from other states to meet the goal and “that’s gonna drive prices through the roof.” Electric utilities will have to stop using coal and natural gas a decade earlier than Xcel Energy and Minnesota Power planned — but North Mankato Democrat Nick Frentz says it’s necessary to address the climate crisis.  There are exceptions for utilities if the switchover is too expensive for electric consumers, or if alternatives such as solar and wind are not reliable enough to keep the power on.