May 13, 2021 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett Steep bills for natural gas customers during a crippling winter storm in February could end with some changes in what’s allowed for Minnesota utilities if two state agencies have anything to say about it. The Minnesota Department of Commerce says consumers are being socked with $90 million in…
18May
Minnesota regulators do not approve CenterPoint’s proposed investment in advanced meters
Published May 18, 2021 I recently wrote a blog about CenterPoint Energy’s petition to begin installing smart meters at the homes and businesses of its Minnesota customers. Like any time a regulated utility asks to spend its customers’ money, this proposal required approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC). CUB recommended that the Commission…
27Apr
Now hiring: Paid part-time communications and outreach intern
Published April 27, 2021 CUB is seeking a motivated intern to support our outreach and communications programs. The intern will support CUB’s outreach events, assist with CUB’s communications strategies, and help people understand their electric and gas bills, how to reduce energy waste and save money, and their options for renewable energy. Until further notice,…
23Apr
Minnesota gasps at the financial damage it faces from the Texas freeze
April 22, 2021 The Washington Post Will Englund When that big freeze hit Texas in February, the Lone Star State couldn’t help but share its pain. With its ill-equipped natural gas systems clocked by the cold, Texas’s exports across the Rio Grande froze up and 4.7million customers in northern Mexico went without electricity — more…
23Mar
Utility bills are hitting Minnesotans harder than ever
March 22, 2021 MPR Angela Davis and Katie Moritz There’s almost nothing the devastation of the pandemic hasn’t touched. That includes everyday things like bills and Minnesotans’ ability to pay them. During the pandemic, more Minnesotans have struggled to pay utility bills. The number of overdue bills in the state and the dollar amount of…
20Mar
Minnesota lawmakers look to help customers deal with natural gas price spike
March 18, 2021 MinnPost Walker Orenstein The severe cold in the southern U.S. last month will result in higher natural gas bills for a huge swath of Minnesotans. In response, a pair of Minnesota lawmakers have introduced a bill at the Legislature to help low-income people shoulder the extra costs. The new measure would distribute…
17Mar
February cold snap could cost CenterPoint customers additional $354, plus interest
March 17, 2021 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett CenterPoint Energy is proposing to spread the cost of a colossal natural gas price spike — $354 per household on average — over two years to help cushion the blow to Minnesota consumers and the company itself. The deep freeze that paralyzed Texas last month ignited U.S. wholesale…
09Mar
Xcel, environmentalists square off over planned gas-fired power plant
March 6, 2021 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett The rise of natural gas-fired power was long welcomed — or at least accepted — by both utilities and clean-energy groups. Gas vanquished coal, cutting both carbon dioxide emissions and wholesale electricity costs. But to renewable-energy advocates, gas’ days are numbered — at least as far as building…
01Mar
Xcel’s 15-year energy plan offers opportunities to address environmental racism in Minnesota. Immigrant activists are determined to make it happen.
February 26, 2021 Sahan Journal Andrew Hazzard Making 100 percent of the state’s energy carbon-free by 2040; protecting waterways to create more sustainable food production; investing in green infrastructure. These are just a few of the proposals from the DFL-led State House of Representatives that have environmental activists buzzing. But a divided state Legislature–Democrats control…
26Feb
Though power grid held steady during cold, Minnesotans brace for natural gas price surge
February 24, 2021 Park Rapids Enterprise Matthew Guerry ST. PAUL — The electrical grid in Minnesota largely withstood the punishingly cold weather that enveloped the state in recent weeks, unlike the grid in Texas, where winter storms last week caused widespread blackouts. But the surge in natural gas demands, both for heat and for power,…