The Minnesota Senate on Thursday passed a bill that claims to improve the permitting process for energy but lacks significant improvement for manufacturing, mining, and other industries. While the Chamber of Commerce supports this bill, their own research indicates this bill will not go far enough. 

Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake) issued the following statement about the bill: 

 “This is a glaring example of Democrat favoritism. Instead of helping every Minnesota industry that is being crushed by our excessively burdensome red tape, they tailored a bill to help only their preferred renewable energy sectors like solar and wind. They did this because Democrats know Minnesota’s oppressive permitting process will prevent those industries from meeting the extreme mandates of their 2023 Blackout Bill. Meanwhile, nuclear, manufacturing, mining, and other businesses need the relief just as badly, but since they aren’t big Democrat allies they get left out. 

 

“The bill is a tacit acknowledgement that Minnesota’s permitting process needs an overhaul. But we need to apply these reforms to everyone equally, not pick and choose winners. Today Democrats chose partisan interests over real, significant progress.” 

 

During floor debate on the bill, Senate Republicans offered an amendment to significantly expand the scope of the bill, streamlining the review process for a wider range of industries and businesses. The amendment was a copy of a bill that has bipartisan support in the Senate, including a Democrat chief author. 

 

Democrats rejected the amendment on a party-line vote.