Minnesota Update
This week featured what looks to become the focus of the Minnesota House of Representative’s energy and climate policy – an eventual mandate of 100% renewable energy. The enthusiasm of the bill’s supporters was at a high level on Tuesday as activists filled the committee room and they overflowed into the hall where a television had been set up to broadcast the hearing. Nearly fifty individuals testified, with the vast majority supporting the proposal. The activists demanded that climate change legislation pass the committee and their testimony painted a picture of the bleak future they believe we will face without immediate action. While the hearing on Representative Jamie Long’s (DFL-Minneapolis) House File 700 was informational and no vote was taken, we can expect the committee to revisit this issue in the near future.
On Thursday, the committee heard from experts on energy storage – noting that storage is one of the greatest challenges currently facing renewables. Testifiers from the Energy Transition Lab and the Natural Resources Research Institute provided overviews of different storage technologies, and presented the challenges and opportunities that they face.
Next week, the Senate Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy Committee is going to hold an informational hearing on High Energy Consumers, which will feature presentations from the Iron Mining Association, Gerdau Steel and Verso Corporation. They will likely discuss the importance of reliable and low-cost energy.