The Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) has presented Sen. Jason Rarick (R-Pine City) with a Public Service Award.

Sen. Rarick was instrumental in the passage of the Energy Conservation and Optimization ACT (ECO) of 2021, one of MMUA’s top legislative proposals. This bill modernized the state’s Conservation Improvement Program law, allowing utilities to better address a host of issues, including the deployment of new and emerging electric technologies.

“I want to thank the Minnesota Munciplal Utilities Association for this award and their partnership in passing ECO,” Senator Rarick said. “I am extremely proud that we were able to secure this innovation reform. ECO is important for our municipals because it eases their requirements, making efficiency goals more attainable while ensuring we don’t drive folks out of business. The changes also reward institutions already succeeding by giving them the financial flexibility they have earned. Coupled together, these reforms move Minnesota’s energy priorities in the right direction while also allowing us to lower Minnesotans’ energy bills over time, an issue that is more important than ever right now.”

Sen. Rarick started championing this legislative update several sessions earlier. He understood the value of modernizing this statute and continued discussions, often providing shuttle diplomacy between advocates and opponents. He carefully crafted amendments that addressed concerns but did so in a manner that did not negatively impact the bill.

Sen. Rarick persistently worked to win over those who had expressed concerns or lacked understanding of the legislation. He then helped negotiate a workable compromise with the House, gaining a 58 – 9 vote on final passage on a bill initially denied a Senate vote.

In addition to ECO, Sen. Rarick defended municipal and cooperative electric utilities against other problematic bills.

MMUA, established in 1931, represents the interests of the state’s 124 municipal electric and 33 municipal natural gas utilities.