eType Editor

Most of us recognize that climate change is not a hoax or part of a woke political agenda. I am disheartened and angry that a majority in the House of Representatives including our own representative Pete Stauber voted to support the nightmarish “Big Beautiful Bill” that among other things attempts to roll back the progress the US has made in clean energy and return us to an era of fossil-fuel dominance. The US has made great progress in transitioning to clean energy over the past decade and Minnesota has been a national leader in this transition. We’re fortunate to be able to access the huge energy potential of the windy Great Plains and sunshine across the region. 53% of our electric power in Minnesota is generated by zero carbon sources (wind, solar, nuclear, hydro) and the state is on track to meet a deadline of 100% carbon free power by 2040. According to the DOE’s Energy Information Administration 93% of new US generating capacity in 2025 will be solar, wind or battery storage. In Minnesota there are over 4,700 jobs and 164 businesses in the solar industry alone. In the next few years, we anticipate huge new electric demand from AI data centers, electric vehicles and more. Clean energy technologies are positioned to help Minnesota and the US meet that demand, helping both our economy and our environment. The drastic changes outlined in the Big Beautiful Bill would threaten this positive transition to a thriving economy driven by clean energy.