Don’t Roll Back the Clock on Clean Energy

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.

Congress removes language from a bill that could have significantly affected the BWCAW

On Tuesday, June 10, Congress struck Section 80131 from the draft budget bill. This section would have granted leased public land to Antofagasta, a London-based Chilean mining company, and would have given the courts the limited ability to review permits, meaning that the courts would have had little power to assess the environmental impact of the proposed mining operation.

North Shore Health Swing Bed Legislation Passes in House and Senate

North Shore Health (NSH) in Grand Marais, MN announced that during the Special Legislative Session on Monday, June 9, both the House and Senate passed the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill, which includes North Shore Health’s proposed swing bed language. The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law.

Fika Coffee business is expanding

The Fika Coffee shop, located in the Clearview building in downtown Lutsen, was running out of room, so last year, Joshua (Josh) Lindstrom embarked on building a 2,500-square-foot facility in the Cedar Grove Business Park, where he and his staff could roast and package the coffee.