Dear Friends,
My friend and colleague Rep. Jim Newberger wrote an excellent piece for the Star Tribune last month outlining the impacts of the EPA's war on coal on Minnesota that I wanted to share with you. You can read the whole piece by clicking here.
President Obama's EPA has been waging a war on coal energy that puts the jobs of hundreds of Minnesotans at risk, and could mean skyrocketing electric bills for families across the state.
Coal provides hundreds of jobs in Minnesota—good paying jobs that help workers provide for their families. Closing Minnesota's coal plants would be devastating to the local economies that rely on coal energy jobs, and worse, would mean higher electric bills.
If you close a coal plant, you naturally need to replace the energy that comes from those plants. Coal is one of the cheapest forms of energy, and the Xcel plant in Central Minnesota provides energy for about 2.5 million residents.
Wind and solar just can't do the job at this point in time. Trying to use solar and wind to replace coal would mean significantly higher costs to produce the energy needed to run your state, which will be passed on to ratepayers in the form of higher electric bills.
These policies hurt jobs and will ultimately mean higher prices for consumers. Until Democrats provide a serious solution to making sure your energy bills don't skyrocket thanks to their pursuit of "green" policies, we must put a halt to this senseless war on coal and war on coal jobs.
This will be my last email update for 2014. State law prohibits mass mailings or email updates like these from legislators after July 15th. I am able to respond to questions, comments, and other requests for assistance, so please don't hesitate to contact me at rep.glenn.gruenhagen@house.mn or call my office at 651-296-4229. I hope you stay in touch and let me know if I can be of help at all.
It's been an honor to represent our community this past session, and I'm grateful for all of the calls, emails, and letters you've sent to give me feedback and guidance to help me be a better representative for our area. Your input matters, and is always welcome.
Have a great summer,
Glenn