Commentary; Posted: 2/21/07
Plans for renewable energy make sense
Rep. Jeremy Kalin
Guest Columnist
The Legislature is moving quickly now. Several bills have advanced through committees and are headed for a final vote by the full House of Representatives. I am especially interested in one bill I have been working on in the Energy Committee, which by the time you read this will most likely have passed the House and landed on the Governor’s desk to become law.
Before I officially took office, Ms. Lavoie’s fourth graders at the Sunrise River School in North Branch wrote me, asking for cleaner energy in Minnesota. I have long been interested in renewable energy, and my subsequent visit to their class encouraged me even more.
When I introduced my renewable energy standard bill, I thought of those students. My legislation was incorporated into Senate File 4, which will require that more than 25 percent of all electricity generated in Minnesota come from clean and renewable sources by the year 2025. This bill is soon headed to Gov. Pawlenty’s desk.
The Renewable Energy Standard is a great deal for Minnesota.
As fossil fuels become scarcer and more expensive, renewable energy - such as wind, biomass, and geothermal heat exchange - will likely save working Minnesotans money on our utility bills. Minnesota will also benefit from the increased economic investment and new jobs that the renewable energy standard will create. We can capture the wind energy with turbines we create right here.
One of our next tasks is the Community Based Energy Development bill, which will move us more quickly to energy independence.
Energy independence brings a great national security benefit. Minnesota can lead the way, away from foreign energy sources that fuel terrorism and unrest around the world and threaten our security. A renewable energy standard - along with efficiency and new fuel sources - play a big part in defending the country.
Finally, there’s a benefit to the outdoors and our climate. Minnesotans take pride in our outdoors. We hunt, fish, boat, hike, and ski.
Using clean energy sources reduces toxins like mercury from poisoning our waters. Renewable energy is also one of the best tools we have to fight climate change caused by greenhouse gases.
As a fiscal conservative, I try to examine the return on our investment, in every area. When our energy committee heard testimony over the course of many days we heard that the lowest-cost way to achieve clean, reliable energy is through energy efficiency innovation.
We can gain significant savings immediately through several tried-and-true technologies, from more efficient light bulbs and ballasts to waste-heat-recovery or “co-generation” in our largest factories.
These efficiency efforts are championed by the electric utilities, and we all know they work. I am proud to carry the energy efficiency bills this session - a significant responsibility for a first-term representative!
I’m extremely pleased the Legislature and the governor have rallied around renewable energy so early in the session.
I can’t wait to see the results.
This week our Congressman, Jim Oberstar, addresses a joint meeting of the House and Senate Transportation Committees. Rep. Oberstar has long delivered critical investments in making our roads and bridges safer - and it’s time for Minnesota to step up to the plate and finally match the chairman’s leadership, and funding.
As always, please write or call me anytime. My direct Capitol phone is 651-296-5377, and my e-mail is Rep.Jeremy.Kalin@House.mn. My postal address is 100 Martin Luther King Dr. 579, St. Paul MN 55155.
You can also sign up for e-mail updates at www.House.MN/17b.
Jeremy Kalin, DFL-Lindstrom, represents District 17B in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
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