House bills are an assault on Minnesota solar energy
Gazprom's hand picked silver-spoon poster boy of conspicuous consumption had yet to be crowned in D.C.; as Minnesota House Republicans were already hard at work last Tuesday appeasing their patrons in the energy sector.
Demonstrating their priorities for this biennium under the leadership of Pat Garafalo, the Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance Committee worked with an almost religious zeal to completely dismantle the Made-In-Minnesota incentive program, eliminate the Renewable Development Fund, and bypass the Public Utilities Commission to greenlight Cooperative Utilities unrestricted imposition of new fees.
Despite the testimony of multiple individuals attesting to the long term consequences both economic and environmental; the committee Republicans voted to erase Minnesota job creating incentives, stifle entrepreneurial activity and monetarily punish those who have already invested in clean, sustainable power.
House bills HF234 and HF235 represent a concerted assault on Minnesota's homegrown solar energy sector in favor of the large scale coal and gas giants to whom our state hemorrhages billions of energy dollars annually.
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There is still time to fight this. These bills are off to Ways and Means. Contact your representatives in St. Paul because you can bet the goon squad of the fossil fuel industry already has.
Dan Bye
Pequot Lakes
