St. Paul, MN – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives advanced the Energy and Commerce Budget Bill. The Climate and Energy portion of the budget puts Minnesota on a path to achieve 100 percent clean energy in the electricity sector by 2040. It improves energy efficiency goals, strengthens the renewable energy preference, and updates state emissions targets to align with the latest scientific projections.
State Representative Todd Lippert (DFL - Northfield), who serves on the Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee, was the author of several provisions in the bill, including the Future Fuels policy and the Innovation Finance Authority.
“Minnesota is one of the fastest warming states in the nation, but we are not without solutions to this issue. By setting a clean fuel standard, Minnesota can become a leader in reducing transportation emissions,” said Rep. Lippert. “Our bill also provides the tools necessary to employ the technologies that can bring energy efficiency to homes throughout the state. We can build the clean energy economy that Minnesotans deserve, and the budget we passed today can set us on that path.”
Rep. Lippert’s Future Fuels policy establishes a clean fuels standard that requires the carbon intensity of transportation fuels in Minnesota to be 20% less than 2018 levels by 2035. The Department of Commerce would establish annual standards that decrease the carbon intensity of fuels. The Innovation Finance Authority provisions in the bill includes a $10 million investment to create an independent nonprofit to finance conservation and clean energy projects that might not otherwise get access to funding.
A video recording of today’s floor debate is available on the House Public Information YouTube page.