Statewide View: Don't let Minnesota pull plug on free-market energy production

Statewide View: Don't let Minnesota pull plug on free-market energy production

As a conservative and longtime advocate for free-market energy solutions, I’m urging Minnesotans to stand up against an immediate threat that would increase your energy bills. The Senate Energy Omnibus bill, SF 2393, a bill quickly moving through the Legislature, would sunset Minnesota’s nation-leading, recently revamped community solar program, a program that’s not only helped thousands of Minnesotans save on their electricity bills but also ha…

Benefit or bloat? Bill seeks to end Minnesota’s community solar program even as lower-income users reap savings

Vue Lee spent $133 less on his electric bill this February than he did in February 2024. The savings mean a lot to Lee. He lives in Brooklyn Park and has what he calls a “typical Asian family,” with an adult daughter and grandchildren also living under his roof. The extra money can go to groceries or family fun. “I can spend more on the grandkids,” Lee said. Those savings are the result of subscribing to a community solar garden. Lee receives mo…

Minnesota Lawmakers Move Bill to Halt Community Solar Program, Threatening Local Economy and Energy Savings for Families  - Vote Solar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 2, 2025  Saint Paul, MN– Senate Bill 2855 and its companion House bill aim to end Minnesota’s Community Solar Garden program, a critical initiative that has provided affordable, equitable, and cost-effective local solar options. The Community Solar Garden program has been essential in advancing Minnesota’s clean energy goals while providing cost savings, energy independence, and local economic growth. However, the int…

Minnesota legislation aims to sunset community solar program

The first state to establish a community solar law is now considering, through Senate bill 2855, to end the program in 2028. Proponents of the program say that rolling it back would eliminate savings and drive energy costs higher.Minnesota has been ahead of the curve when it comes to clean energy. In 2023, Gov. Walz signed into law a new climate bill that aims for 100% clean energy by 2040. In 2013, Minnesota was the first state to establish a c…

Minnesota legislature considers sunsetting LMI community solar program in 2028

New bipartisan legislation in Minnesota sponsored by Sen. Nick A. Frentz (18, Democratic–Farmer–Labor), Sen. Bill Weber (21, R) and Sen. John A. Hoffman (34, Democratic–Farmer–Labor) proposes to sunset the state’s newly reformed Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) Accessible Community Solar Garden (CSG) program in 2028. “This blatant rollback is a gift to powerful utilities intent on protecting… The post Minnesota legislature considers sunsetting LMI c…