Hello neighbors!
The Minnesota House is done for this week. So, here is an update on what's going on in the Legislature.
There are five big issues being discussed that will impact up locally:
1. Sherco.
Building a new gas power plant in Becker is on hold.
As you know, I do not favor shutting down our coal plants, however, if a new power plant is to be built, then it needs to be in our district. Becker is the best site in the state for this.
Why? The site is already approved for power production, the power line transmission system is already there, and the work force is already part of the community. There is no other site that would be more cost effective.
Before this session started, I authored the bill to put a new power plant in at the Sherco site. I am carrying this legislation in the Minnesota House and Democratic Senator John Hoffman is the author in the Minnesota Senate. We were told that Governor Dayton supported this plan.
This bill also included provisions appealing to the renewable community that would allow for other projects, like solar and biomass, to be built in other parts of the state. This was a concession I was willing to agree to in order to reach across the aisle to get things done, and is a major reason why the senate and house bills had broad bipartisan support.
Our bills were ready to go; all we had to do was hear them in committee.
However, shortly after the session began, we heard rumblings that the Governor's office may have changed its position.
Last week, we learned that Governor Dayton no longer supports the Becker gas plant bill. Because of that, the Senate DFL Energy Leadership will not hear the bill in the Senate.
I sent a personal letter to Governor Dayton, asking him to tell us why he no longer supports a gas plant in Becker. The letter was sent last week, and I have not received a reply.
I will not push the house version of the bill forward if it has no future. I will not create false hopes in our district. Governor Dayton must be on board with this project in order for the Senate to partner with us and make this a reality.
So, what does that mean? We wait until next year.
It also means that the Sherco coal units 1 and 2 may be running a few years longer, and that's okay with me!
2. Northern Metals.
At this time I am working with Rep. Tom Hackbarth and Rep. Paul Torkelson to get Northern
Metals to relocate in Becker. The City of Becker and Sherburne County have drafted letters of support for this. Bringing Northern Metals into the Becker Industrial Park would create about 75-90 full time, well-paying jobs.
At this time, Becker is the only site being considered in Minnesota. Becker has the industrial and rail infrastructure to make this happen.
Currently, Northern Metals is located in Minneapolis. The City of Minneapolis would like Northern Metals to vacate its riverfront location so that the property can be redeveloped into something else.
Stay tuned: We have a number of hoops to jump through to make this happen, but I will keep you updated as this unfolds.
3. The Sand Dune State Forest.
Recently, the DNR had plans to clear cut most of the south eastern area of the Sand Dune State Forest. We were told the plan is to clear cut the pines and replace them with oaks. It would take decades for these oaks to regrow into mature trees.
Residents in Orrock were, for the most part, left out of the decision making process. I had attended several meetings with residents hosted by the DNR to discuss the issue. Many of the residents were frustrated and decided to hold their own informational meeting at the end of March to cover many of the concerns not addressed by the DNR.
During this time, I learned that one of the main reasons the DNR wanted to clear cut the Sand Dunes State Forest was not driven by a desire to change to an oak forest, but it was to provide open landscape for pollinator bugs to thrive! This decision was driven, I am told, by the Ecological Division of the DNR.
I drafted a bill that will stop the clear cutting for one year, and force the DNR to work with local residents on how the future of the forest should be managed. It requires the Forestry Division to work with the residents on this. The bill does not stop current cutting contracts - only future contracts.
The measure is moving forward, and should be heard on the House floor in the near future. We are also laying the groundwork to ensure the bill survives the conference committee process. We have made excellent strides, but still have a long way to go!
4. Northstar Light Rail.
You may have heard recently that there is a bill moving through the Minnesota House that would cut the number of passenger train trips to/from Big Lake to Minneapolis. The money saved by this would be applied towards creating a couple of new trips to/from St. Cloud to Minneapolis. Thus, the bill requires that there would be “no cost” to the State of Minnesota.
This won't work.
When the bill was heard in committee, Department of Transportation officials testified that there would be substantial costs involved. And, if the state does not pay for the expenses, the costs would be shifted over to local communities to pay for it. This would be an enormous unfunded mandate.
I do not, and will not, support this.
The Northstar line already loses nearly one million dollars each month. Ridership has never reached its projections and each ride is subsidized up to 60% by taxpayers. We have greater needs in our state, and should spend the money on building and repairing our roads and bridges.
I do, however, support expanding the Northstar bus service. That is the most cost-effective way to expand transit.
5. Helping Veterans.
Finally, I am working on a veterans bill that will be voted on next week.
The bill helps former military members struggling with PTSD. It allows them to extend the waiver period for renewing real estate licenses, which is a good step forward in helping the men and women who have served our country.
Have a great weekend!
God's peace,
Jim