A new energy bill that recently passed the Minnesota House is being dubbed the “Blackout Bill” by GOP legislators due to the outlined carbon-neutral requirements.

The bill, HF 7, states that by 2040, utilities doing business in the state must use entirely carbon-free sources for electricity. The sources the bill lists include solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, and hydrogen.

But despite passing the House, it was only along party lines with sole support from the DFL party, who hold the majority in the House.

Due to the outlined requirements, Republicans have claimed this bill would force the state to use unreliable and expensive resources. The resources to create the necessary components, such as the batteries for solar panels, would most likely be produced from out of the country.

District 2B Rep. Matt Bliss stated in a direct interview with Lakeland News there is support for green energy from the GOP but not at this demand. A reported more than two-dozen Republican amendments were proposed to the bill, which Bliss states included lifting the moratorium on building nuclear power plants in Minnesota or where to specifically mine for minerals, but all where struck down.

“We support clean energy. But, we can’t do it at this rate,” said Rep. Bliss. “Two years ago we were minutes away from a blackout…and that’s with the current generating capacity we have right now.”

Rep. Bliss said due to Minnesota sharing a power grid with North Dakota, the expectations outlined in this bill could cause North Dakota to enter a potential lawsuit against Minnesota.

The state had previously established a standard of 25% of the state’s energy deriving from renewable resources by 2025. This goal was achieved by 2017. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported in a July 2022 analysis that in 2021 renewable resources accounted for 29% of Minnesota electricity net generation. Coal accounted for 26%, nuclear power fueled 24% and natural gas contributed 21%.

By — Mary Balstad