Since posting Rep. Wagenius charges that MN House energy omnibus bill sabotages solar and much more early Tuesday morning, Bluestem has learned of at least three campaigns to persuade members of the Minnesota House of Representatives to reject the more radical elements in the bill that would peel back the state's clean energy policy.
Sierra Club North Star Chapter
In What will be Minnesota’s Energy Plan?, the Sierra Club's Michelle Rosier writes:
On April 6th, the House Jobs and Affordable Energy Committee posted a final energy package that was radically different from the Senate’s Clean Energy Plan (SF 1431) passed two weeks earlier. Evaluating and reforming energy and climate policy is important, but the House proposal guts Minnesota’s successful, nationally recognized clean energy and climate policies. We believe that evaluation and reform should be done in an attempt to transition Minnesota’s energy system and economy from dirty fossil fuels to no carbon, renewable sources to improve air and water quality, reduce the impacts of climate change, create economic benefits and jobs for all Minnesotans, and to create a resilient, affordable, and reliable energy system and economy.
In a concise and thoughtful post, Rosier lays out four principles for Minnesota’s clean energy transition, followed by eight points critiquing the draft of the omnibus bill draft, along with a recommendation and link to contact legislators:
If you support Minnesota’s progress on clean energy and climate and think we need to keep moving forward, send that message to your legislators today.
Read the entire post and send that message if you agree.
Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light
A faith-based coalition, Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light has sent the following call to its elist:
Dear Friends,
Key people within the Minnesota House of Representatives are working to gut Minnesota’s successful landmark clean energy policies, but people of faith are stepping up and calling on them to do the right thing.
Over the past twenty years, Minnesotans have built a responsible transition beyond fossil fuels to a clean, renewable energy, and a thriving industry that employs >15,300 people. Faith actors have been at the forefront of these successful steps forward.
But the Minnesota House bill would:
Eliminate Minnesota’s science-based goals aimed to reduce and offset climate pollution;
Repeal Minnesota’s energy savings program that has saved the energy equivalent of 8 Prairie Island nuclear plants;
Repeal the nuclear moratorium;
Destroy the progress made on solar energy in 2013
Roll back Minnesota’s renewable goals by watering down standard renewable energy by allowing existing, large hydro from Canada.
Tell your State Senator and Representative to vote NO on the House energy bill and instead supporting clean energy & jobs policies by supporting the Senate clean energy package.
The right thing to do is to continue to make progress by supporting the Senate clean energy package that sets Minnesota’s renewable energy benchmark to achieve at least 40% renewables by 2030 and increases energy savings.
Thanks for all you do to build the climate movement!
Together,
Claire Curran
Campaign Coordinator, MNIPL
The Alliance for Solar Choice
Via Facebook ads, the Alliance for Solar Choice, a national rooftop solar advocacy group, asks Minnesotans to save net metering on its "landing pad":
SAVE ENERGY CHOICE AND NET METERING IN MINNESOTA!
Minnesota has been a leader in solar energy, but proposed legislation threatens the state's growing rooftop solar industry, local job creation, and energy choice by eliminating fundamental solar policies.
Send a letter to save solar now!
This proposed House Energy Omnibus Bill changes the way utilities account for the energy that rooftop solar customers export to the grid. The current policy, called net metering, provides a fair accounting of a customer’s solar energy production and has driven almost 100% of all rooftop solar deployment in the United States over the last three decades. Net metering is critical to Minnesota’s energy future.
Lend your voice and tell your elected officials you support net metering and a thriving clean energy market that brings choice and control over electricity costs to Minnesotans!
P.S. Please remember to personalize your letter!
Visit the page to read the suggested letters.
Hong Pong/Daily Kos post
Dan Feidt, a Minnesota activist and writer now living in Boston, picked up the story in ALEC Operation on Blast & knives out for solar as fossil fuel lobby gets what it paid for: MN House plan to gut clean energy policy, unload more fracked natural gas.
Feidt,whose large online following reaches into Occupy and left libertarian circles, includes a rollicking twitter exchange with Jobs & Energy Affordability committee chair Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington).
Photo: Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington).
We're conducting our spring fundraising drive. If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen P.O. Box 108, Maynard MN 56260) or use the paypal button below:
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