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…
02Apr
Not just a Texas problem: Minnesotans will be paying for the recent natural gas spike, too
Published April 2, 2021 Two weeks ago, I wrote about proposed legislation to help consumers weather a dramatic spike in the price of natural gas that occurred in February. The issue is moving forward in both the legislative and regulatory arenas, so I am back with an update. The severe cold weather that hit Texas…
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…
16Mar
Legislature considers assistance to customers to counter natural gas price spike
Published March 16, 2021 This week, the committees responsible for energy in the Minnesota House and Senate will hear identical bills aimed at addressing the severe spike in the price of natural gas that affected Minnesota gas utilities in February. The severe cold weather in Texas and the Midwest last month caused the price of…
24Feb
Senate to hear bills to roll back or eliminate long-standing energy conservation law
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…
22Feb
CUB bill will expand public interest representation at the Public Utilities Commission
Published February 22, 2021. Updated March 1 to include Senate File number. 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…
10Feb
CUB supports “securitization” to help Minnesota utilities retire aging coal plants
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…
26Jan
ECO Act would update Minnesota’s energy conservation policy
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…
20Jan
CUB supports Minnesota House bill for 100% carbon-free electricity
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…