Published February 19, 2021 As we are well aware in Minnesota, frigid temperatures have recently descended upon much of the country — in many instances posing a real danger to those without access to reliable heat. This danger has been felt most acutely in Texas, where millions lost power, and some have died because the…
Published February 11, 2021. Updated July 7, 2021 Minnesota regulators are currently considering Xcel Energy’s plan for how it will generate electricity over the next 15 years. For Xcel customers, this plan largely decides how much of your energy will come from coal, gas, wind, solar, and nuclear, as well as a great deal about…
Published February 15, 2021 CUB is tracking several legislative issues arising in this year’s Legislative Session that we believe would benefit Minnesota consumers by driving down the cost of energy. Among those issues is Representative, and Chair of the House Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee, Jamie Long’s (DFL-Minneapolis) proposal to enable “securitization” as…
Published February 4, 2021 I recently spoke with a woman whose January electricity bill for a rented 2-bedroom duplex was over $500! I had a conversation with her to understand a bit more about her home and her personal situation. I made some initial suggestions that would cut her bill by nearly one-third and also followed…
Published January 29, 2021 CUB is pleased to announce that we received funding from the Minnesota Department of Commerce in the form of a Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) grant. The research project to be funded is titled Analysis of New or Modified Energy Efficiency Programs to Increase Energy Savings of Underserved Populations. It’s…
Published January 26, 2021 CUB’s executive director, Annie Levenson-Falk, will testify today before the Minnesota House Climate and Energy Committee in favor of a bill to update the state’s energy conservation policy. The Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Act would make modest but important changes to the Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) by expanding the types…
Published January 21, 2021 Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives Climate and Energy Committee will hear a bill that would require the state’s electric utilities to supply 100% of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040. The bill, authored by committee chair Jamie Long with the support of Governor Walz and his administration, sets a…
Published January 13, 2021 Minnesota Power plans to deliver 100% carbon-free electricity to northern Minnesota by 2050. In an announcement yesterday, the Duluth-based utility promised 70% renewable electricity by 2030. It will reduce coal plant operations immediately and close all of its coal generation by 2035. And it will do so while maintaining the reliability…
Published January 12, 2021 As I reflect on a busy year in Minnesota energy, I’m proud of the impact CUB has had to advance affordable, clean energy and consumer protections for Minnesotans, especially through the unexpected challenges that 2020 threw at all of us. Here’s a look back on what we achieved last year and…
Published January 12, 2021 The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Minnesotans in multiple ways. Among those impacts, the pandemic (and related restrictions issued globally to help slow its spread) has contributed to fluctuating demand for steel and declining demand for paper. This, in turn, has recently caused several of Minnesota’s large…
