Saint Paul, Minn. – This evening, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed transformative legislation that establishes new clean energy goals for the state and puts Minnesota on a path to produce 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.
Rep. Lucy Rehm (DFL-Chanhassen) a co-author of the legislation, and member of the House Climate and Energy Finance and Policy, voted in favor of the bill.
“Our natural resources-lakes, parks, trails, wetlands, air, and more-are precious in our communities across the state,” said Rep. Rehm. “Our future generations deserve to enjoy them as we have, and it’s critical we act now. The bill we passed today will create thousands of family sustaining jobs and ensure those families, and all of us, can enjoy cleaner air and the preservation of our shared environment.”
In 2007, a DFL House, DFL Senate, and a Republican Governor enacted the Next Generation Energy Act, which sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% from 2005 levels by 2050. According to a 2021 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) report, the state is not on track to meet its clean energy goals, with emissions declining just eight percent from 2005 levels.
Over the past four years, the Minnesota House has voted twice to improve upon the state’s clean energy goals, most recently in 2021 when legislators approved a Commerce and Energy budget that established the same 100% by 2040 clean energy goals legislators voted for today. Twenty-one other states have already established a 100% clean-energy standard or goal.
The same bill is advancing in the Minnesota Senate, where it passed the Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate Committee. Gov. Walz included the same policy in his budget proposal for fiscal years 2024-2025, and has included the policy in past budget proposals.
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