MN Senate passes 2040 carbon-free electricity bill, sends to governor
100-percent of Minnesota’s electricity will have to be carbon-free by 2040, under legislation the Minnesota Senate passed just before midnight and sent to Governor Tim Walz, who has said he’ll sign it. Pine City Republican Jason Rarick says Minnesota utilities will have no negotiating leverage, if they have to buy “renewable energy credits” from other states to meet the goal:
“We know that’s what is going to end up happening, and it is 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:
“We can rise to the challenge like this country and this state did — two world wars, Great Depression and who knows what challenge in the future — and we can meet it.”
The bill has 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.
