Published February 10, 2023 In November 2021, Minnesota Power filed a request with state regulators to charge its Minnesota electric customers an additional $108 million each year. If approved, this rate increase would have caused a rate hike of about 18% — or about $15 more per month for a typical residential customer. After a…
Minnesota law will soon require electricity to be carbon-free by 2040, as the 100% clean electricity bill heads to Governor Walz’s desk. This is one of Minnesota’s largest-ever moves to address climate change. It is the result of more than four years of work by the Governor and legislative leaders, environmental experts, utilities, labor, consumer…
Published January 17, 2023 Hearings begin this week on a bill to fully decarbonize Minnesota’s electricity sector. The bill, authored by Representative Jamie Long (HF 7) and Senator Nick Frentz (SF 4) and supported by Governor Walz, would require electric utilities to provide carbon-free power by 2040, ten years earlier than Xcel Energy’s and Minnesota…
Published January 13, 2023 Over the course of the past year, Minnesotans have seen the impact of higher natural gas prices on their utility bills. As outlined in several of CUB’s prior blog posts, affordability programs are available to utility customers to help them manage the costs of these bills and allow them to keep…
Published January 13, 2023 January 3rd marked the start of the Minnesota legislative session, and CUB is again working hard to represent consumer interests in energy policy. With the DFL now in control of the House, Senate, and Governor’s Office, we expect policymakers to be busy with climate and energy bills (and much more). Here…
Published January 11, 2023 Have you, friends, or family ever felt stressed about paying an energy bill, replacing a broken water heater, or trying to keep a drafty home warm? Energy programs exist to help with all these issues. You may be able to receive direct bill assistance, free repairs, or rebates. However, looking for help…
Published January 10, 2023 CUB is pleased to have played an important role in a new regulatory development: Minnesota will now require its three largest natural gas utilities to file integrated resource plans (IRPs)! This blog post provides an overview of how this requirement arose and why it matters. On September 15, 2022, Minnesota’s four largest…
Published December 14, 2022 Last week, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) affirmed its decision that gas utilities must share in the costs of a severe natural gas price spike that occurred in February of last year. Winter Storm Uri, which occurred over Presidents’ Day weekend in February 2021, froze natural gas infrastructure in Texas and…
Published December 14, 2022 Last year, Xcel Energy filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to increase rates for its Minnesota electric customers. Because the process for evaluating whether these new rates should be allowed (i.e. a “rate case”) takes time, Minnesota law allows Xcel to increase electricity rates on a temporary basis…
Published November 30, 2022 About the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota The Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota (CUB) is the independent advocate for Minnesota utility consumers. Our goal is to help ensure all Minnesotans have equal access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy – and to ensure consumers benefit from the transition away from fossil…
