Accessibility menu
State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
STATE LEGISLATURE ADDRESSES GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
At the end of January, I had the privilege of attending a historic joint House and Senate presentation on global warming. The distinguished panel of speakers included world famous polar explorer Will Steger, scientists from the University of Minnesota, and members of the faith community. From both a hands-on and scientific perspective, as well as one of moral responsibility, they addressed the very real global phenomenon that is threatening our environment.
While there certainly are still some who doubt the seriousness of the changing climate of our planet, a variety of recent reports have added significant credibility. The most recent was released just last week by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This panel stated that global warming is so severe it will continue for centuries, drastically changing the face of the world we live in. They also stated they are 90 percent certain that global warming is caused by man. They did say, however, that by acting quickly to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the worst can be prevented.
Closer to home, recent studies have shown that if global warming continues at its current rate, the damage to Minnesota's natural resources will be devastating. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency predicts that global warming could completely destroy the Boundary Waters' boreal forests, dramatically lower lake levels across the state, decrease ice cover during the winter and threaten waterfowl populations. Clearly, the need to act has become imperative.
This week, the bipartisan House Energy Committee passed a bill calling for a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) of 25 percent by the year 2025. Specifically, this means that utilities will be required to produce at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2025, including wind, solar, geothermal, and other innovative renewable energy sources. The bill will likely be voted on by the full House as early as next week; the Senate recently passed a RES and the Governor has indicated he will sign it. It appears that Minnesota is on the verge of becoming the twenty-first state to adopt a Renewable Electricity Standard.
Ethanol is another way we are improving our environment, as well as decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. Traditionally, ethanol is produced from corn. A bill introduced on Monday would strengthen production of an emerging technology, cellulosic ethanol, that converts agricultural and forestry products such as prairie and switch grasses into ethanol. The production of both of these forms of ethanol provides a significant economic boost to rural Minnesota and takes us another step forward to a cleaner, healthier environment.
This new legislation puts Minnesota is in a good position to become a leader in renewable energy development and production. I'm proud of the progressive steps our state is taking to address the growing concerns about global warming. As your representative, I will continue to work to promote values that protect our environment, while at the same time strengthen our economic development. Responsibly addressing global warming is a win/win situation, for the world we live in, our economy and the life we make for our families and ourselves.
Please continue to contact me with your feedback and questions. I can be reached at (651) 296-8237, 551 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn.
News Items
- STATE REP. PATTI FRITZ PARTICIPATES IN START OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:32PM)
- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.