Today, the Minnesota Senate passed the Energy Omnibus bill (H.F. 2442), abandoning a host of bipartisan provisions originally approved by the Senate Energy Committee. The Energy Committee’s target was a modest $4 million cut for the next biennium.
What began as a bipartisan effort to deliver affordable, reliable, and clean energy for Minnesotans was gutted into a bare-bones bill that overlooks rising energy costs, grid reliability, and the tools needed to meet the state’s 100% clean energy mandate by 2040. The original committee version earned full Republican support, but the version brought to the Senate floor stripped out key provisions aimed at strengthening Minnesota’s energy future.
“I’m disappointed that the bipartisan bill we passed out of committee was gutted before it reached the Senate floor,” said Senator Andrew Mathews (R–Princeton), Lead Republican on the Energy Committee. “Minnesotans deserve energy that’s clean, reliable, and affordable. We had a real opportunity to deliver new tools for energy producers to meet the clean energy mandate with a strong bipartisan bill but in the end, the talk of collaboration turned out to be just talk.”
This bill grows energy-related government agencies with full funding and added staff. Despite a $6 billion budget deficit and a negative target, not a single agency was asked to tighten its belt, continuing the Democrat pattern of expanding government no matter the fiscal outlook.
Republicans offered a series of amendments aimed at giving energy producers the tools they need to meet Minnesota’s 100% clean energy mandate by 2040, while also working to lower costs for consumers. Democrats rejected every proposal. Among the key Republican-backed amendments that were not adopted:
- Restoring the bipartisan committee bill: Would have returned the bill to the bipartisan version that passed committee, focused on energy affordability and reliability. (Sen. Andrew Mathews)
- Lifting the moratorium on nuclear energy: Proposed ending the decades-long ban on new nuclear plants to expand reliable, carbon-free baseload power. (Sen. Andrew Mathews)
- Net metering reform: Sought to modernize outdated solar buyback rules that currently shift costs onto low- and middle-income ratepayers. (Sen. Jason Rarick, R–Pine City)
- Biodiesel exemption during peak demand: Would have allowed diesel generators using biodiesel to operate during peak periods—a critical tool for many rural utility providers. (Sen. Bill Weber, R–Luverne)
- Hydropower cap removal: Proposed removing the cap on hydroelectric power so it can count as a carbon-free energy source, boosting reliability and affordability. (Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen, R–Glencoe)
During last week’s floor session, Senator Rob Farnsworth (R–Hibbing) successfully introduced an amendment to classify energy produced from certain wood waste as “carbon-free.” Using wood waste for energy prevents its decomposition in forests, which can release significant greenhouse gases, and instead turns it into a renewable energy source. While the amendment was initially adopted, the bill was later laid on the table and on Monday, May 12, the amendment was reconsidered and not adopted.
One bright spot in the final bill includes a provision from Senator Eric Pratt (R–Prior Lake) to address the growing emerald ash borer crisis. The measure appropriates money to a Shakopee biomass energy generation plant to purchase equipment to facilitate the disposal
of wood that is infested by emerald ash borer.
The bill sunsets the 11-year-old Community Solar Garden Program in 2030. The program allows Minnesotans to subscribe to solar energy without installing panels on their own property and receive credits on their utility bills. However, non-subscribers end up subsidizing the cost of the program, which ultimately raises costs for all customers.
“We had a real chance to come together on smart, forward-looking energy policy,” said Sen. Mathews. “Instead, Democrats passed a bill that simply keeps the lights on, with no vision for energy affordability, innovation, or long-term sustainability.”