If Republicans ran Minnesota - environment

This series is based mostly on what Party of Trump state legislators have been trying to do. It is not remotely meant to be anywhere near exhaustive. Just items I’ve chosen to particularly highlight, being brought together for easy reference. I may be adding stuff, from time to time. Part 1, finances and budget, here. Part 3, education, elections, &c., here.

- This article, from Fresh Energy, excellently summarizes a lot of what went down, especially with solar.

- As does this, in a variety of areas, from the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.

- Xcel energy tried to use plutocratic tools in the lege to pull a bunch of crap, some of which is described in the preceding. This was probably the most noxious:

While Xcel Energy has made notable progress on building new renewable energy sources, they’re still happy to shift ever-mounting nuclear plant costs onto ratepayers. This bill would have created a new, uncapped fee on customers’ bills to pay for those costs –and allowed Xcel to run around the normal Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”) process for approving investments and costs. We put pressure on Xcel and their allies in the legislature from the start: they cancelled a hearing at the last minute, watered down the bill, and ultimately let the measure die. - Environment Minnesota

From the same article:

Companies like Enbridge can build pipelines and replace them without federal intervention –that’s why it’s up to states like Minnesota to act. Right now, the PUC is considering whether to allow Enbridge to expand its Line 3 pipeline, letting millions of gallons of heavy tar sands crude run through indigenous lands, family farms, and public green spaces. Some legislators decided that our evidence-based process isn’t fast enough, though, and tried to pass legislation that would instantly approve Line 3. Thankfully, Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the bill, responding to pressure from Environment Minnesota’s members.

- An effort to mess with wild rice sulfate standards, that would have allowed polluters to run amok, was vetoed. (MPR)

- This crap. The standards are indeed on hold, because one last petty effort to stick it to Gov. Dayton takes huge precedence over clean, safe water, as far as the MN GOP is concerned.

A new Minnesota Department of Agriculture rule aimed at protecting drinking water from nitrates could be delayed for a year after last-minute politicking at the State Capitol.

The GOP-controlled Legislature sent Gov. Mark Dayton an agriculture policy bill just as the Legislative session was ending. The House and Senate agriculture committees followed up with some additional pressure: If the governor didn't sign the bill, the committees said, they might invoke an obscure 2001 law that allows the Legislature to halt executive-branch rulemaking.

Dayton vetoed the ag policy bill on Monday. And now, lawmakers are moving toward delaying his agriculture department's groundwater protection rule, which establishes voluntary and mandatory farming practices in areas of the state where nitrate contamination is a problem. - MPR