Published February 24, 2021 Tomorrow, the Senate energy committee will hear bills that would roll back opportunities for Minnesotans – especially in Greater Minnesota – to conserve energy and save money on their utility bills. CUB is asking people in key senate districts to contact their senators and ask them to oppose these bills (more…
Published February 22, 2021 A bill being advanced by CUB and the Energy CENTS Coalition at the state legislature would expand the opportunity for public representation at the Public Utilities Commission. The bill updates a Minnesota law called “intervenor compensation,” which allows people and nonprofits to have their costs of participating at the Public Utilities…
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 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 11, 2021 On January 4th, the Minnesota House and Senate gaveled in a new year at the state Capitol. With COVID-19 and pressing state budget challenges to deal with, legislative districts that must soon be redrawn, and legislative control divided between the two parties, 2021 is unlikely to be a big year for…
May 14, 2020 Energy News Network Frank Jossi A bipartisan bill in Minnesota would reward utilities for encouraging customers to switch to less carbon-intensive fuels for heating, cooling and transportation. The Energy Conservation and Optimization Act updates the state’s Conservation Improvement Program, which state officials say has provided $6 billion in benefits and created 46,000 jobs. The…
Published April 24, 2020 A bill to update the state’s Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) law was passed by the energy committees in both the Minnesota House and Senate yesterday. The product of more than a year of work, the Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Act is advancing with bipartisan support, carried by Representative Zack Stephenson…
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…
Published March 2, 2020 Good morning from St. Paul! The legislature has been in session for two and a half busy weeks, and here is an update on some important energy issues that we are tracking so far. Energy conservation opportunities for rural Minnesotans CUB is advocating for a conservation program that will ensure that…
