Senate Democrats today passed an Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Environment and Climate supplemental budget bill. While the agriculture and energy portions have bipartisan support, this legislation is packaged with partisan commerce policies that add excessive burdens and fail to protect Minnesota consumers.
Senator Eric Pratt (R-Prior Lake) offered the ‘A+ Energy Plan’ as an amendment to ensure that as Minnesota moves toward 100% clean energy standards, there is a focus on keeping our energy system affordable and sustainable across the state. Nuclear and Hydro energy are critical factors for a path toward a clean energy future, while ensuring our grid remains stable and utilities are affordable for Minnesota families.
“Minnesota’s demand for electricity is constantly growing, and we need safe, reliable, and affordable electricity at all times,” said Pratt. “We need electricity the most during our coldest times – people cannot afford to have furnaces and power go out on those subzero days. That is why the A+ Energy Plan is so critical. It expands energy options by including things like nuclear power and removing restrictions on hydroelectric. We shouldn’t limit energy production to certain technologies. The A+ Plan ensures the energy will always stay on, even in times of extreme weather, which we often experience in Minnesota.”
An additional key Republican amendment focused on lifting the nuclear moratorium for small modular nuclear facilities was adopted which takes Minnesota a step closer to increasing energy reliability.
The bill also includes a controversial commerce section that adds excessive burdens onto Minnesotans and fails to deliver on consumer safety and protection. One concerning Democrat provision requires an individual who is purchasing or selling copper to purchase an annual license at a cost of $250 from the Department of Commerce, beginning Jan. 1, 2025. The licensure requirement will hit many Minnesotans who perform their own home and auto repairs, as well as industries such as scrap metal dealers, hardware stores, auto repair shops and many other lines of legitimate business.
The final section of the bill focuses on agriculture and makes notable investments on improving soil health and providing support for water quality issues of private wells in Southeast Minnesota. It also includes $500,000 in fiscal year 2025 for the Soil Health Financial Assistance Program. A Republican provision allocates $375,000 for grants to secondary career and technical education (CTE) programs in Minnesota high schools to offer instruction in meat cutting and butchery.