March 13, 2020 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett The Republicans and DFL plans are far apart, but there is more of a desire to reach an agreement this year. Minnesota lawmakers are once again jockeying to craft new clean energy legislation. And while they seem to be trying harder to reach an agreement this year, it’s…
03Feb
As Xcel moves toward coal-free, will natural gas remain part of energy mix?
January 31, 2020 MPRnews Kirsti Marohn When Xcel Energy announced last year that it plans to stop burning coal in Minnesota by 2030, environmental groups applauded the company’s effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change. But one part of Xcel’s plan is being met with less enthusiasm: It’s proposing to replace a coal-fired power…
15Jan
Xcel plan to idle coal plants could save millions, slash carbon emissions; could Wisconsin utilities do the same?
January 11, 2020 Wisconsin State Journal Chris Hubbuch Minnesota’s Xcel Energy says it can save ratepayers up to $30 million a year and eliminate millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions by idling two coal plants six months a year and changing the way they operate in the others. Environmental groups are hailing the plan…
06Jan
Utilities Have Big Plans to Cut Emissions, But They’re Struggling to Shed Fossil Fuels
January 6, 2020 Inside Climate News Dan Gearino Even a renewable energy leader like Xcel, one of the first to pledge net zero emissions by mid-century, is finding it hard to end coal without adding natural gas. As major U.S. utilities began making pledges this past year to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero,…
03Dec
Enviros, States Question Coal Self-commitment
RTO Insider, December 3, 2019 Tom Leckner SAN ANTONIO — Two environmental groups that say regulated utilities’ practice of self-committing coal plants is costing ratepayers have a point, RTO officials said Monday, even as they challenged the groups’ estimates. The issue is also attracting scrutiny from state regulators. The Sierra Club released a study last month…
21Nov
Non-profit study sees ‘self-committed coal’ distorting MISO market signals
S&P Global, November 20, 2019 Maya Weber San Antonio — If all generation were dispatched economically in Midcontinent Independent System Operator, average wholesale power prices would rise 3%, but production costs would drop 11%, lowering consumer costs, according to a preliminary analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists presented Tuesday. The group, along with the Sierra…
18Nov
Climate column: Citizens’ Utility Board comes to Two Harbors
Virtually every utility today has goals to move to renewables Lake County News Chronicle, November 16, 2019 Katya Gordan This month’s Community Partners climate event focuses on energy. We may not consciously think about energy every day, but we live in heated homes and travel on some kind of paid energy. The costs of our…
18Nov
Minnesota’s days of cheaper electricity seem numbered
Utility rate increases are poised to push Minnesota past the national average. Star Tribune, November 16, 2019 Mike Hughlett Hefty rate hikes that Minnesota’s largest utilities are seeking could push the state’s electricity prices above the national average for the first time in years. Residential prices in Minnesota have been more expensive than for the…
11Nov
Citizens Utility Board recommends these tips for saving energy this winter
November 8, 2019 Mankato KEYC Holly Bernstein MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) — The Citizens Utility Board is recommending several tips for saving energy this winter. They recommend adjusting your thermostat to 68 degrees when you are awake and turning it down about 10 degrees while you are away or asleep. They also suggest opening the blinds…
04Nov
Minnesota Power proposes 10.5% rate increase
November 1, 2019 Minnesota Star Tribune Brooks Johnson The average residential bill would increase by $11. DULUTH – Minnesota Power is asking state regulators for a 10.5% rate increase that would raise the average residential bill by more than $11 a month and small business power bills by $30 a month. The Duluth-based utility told the…