I've been following efforts at the Minnesota Legislature to impose a new $1 billion per year solar power mandate on the state's electric utilities.
Minnesota Public Radio's Kerri Miller hosted two lawmakers on her Daily Circuit program this morning. Senator Julie Rosen is a Republican and a former chair of the state Senate's energy committee. Representative Melissa Hortman is a Democrat and the current chair of the House Energy Policy Committee.
The solar discussion begins in earnest at the 09:52 mark of the recording, as Ann of Lake of the Woods County, MN, expresses concerns about her fast-growing electric bill. At the 17:10 minute mark, host Miller asks a question to pin down Chair Hortman on the subject of the 10 percent solar mandate. At the 17:31 mark, Rep. Hortman says the following, "There is a great argument in favor of 10 percent by 2030."
Sen. Rosen provides a word of caution at the 20:35 mark. "At what cost?", she asks at the 22:04 mark.
My question is this, if Rep. Hortman gets her way, by 2031 will we become like the Greeks, cutting down trees to heat our homes because we can no longer afford electricity?
No comments:
Post a Comment