Peter Wagenius
Minnesota is the only state in America with a divided legislature. This has been the case since the 2018 election when Democrats took control of the House due mainly to election of new representatives in Metro area suburbs, many of whom were endorsed by the Sierra Club. The Senate, which was not up for election in 2018, remains in Republican control. While divided government is often a recipe for gridlock, each session is still an opportunity to advance Sierra Club’s vision of a sustainable and equitable future. Every session is a chance to see which legislators stand up for Minnesota values and protect our air, water, lands and climate.
This session we are glad that the legislature made some progress, like banning the toxic chemical TCE and investing some of the Renewable Development Fund in Solar Rewards and other renewable energy programs, but the session ended with most of the largest bills still in limbo.
Blaming the Virus? Or the Chamber of Commerce?
Obviously, COVID-19 made a big impact on the session. It would be easy to blame the virus for every missed opportunity. But after an initial halt, legislators adapted to holding remote hearings conducted online. So it wasn’t the virus that prevented progress on clean energy. It was the businesses that make up the Chamber of Commerce, including Flint Hills Refinery owned by the Koch Brothers, who have made their billions in fossil fuels. The Senate, where the Chamber holds an effective veto over the Republican majority, spent much of the session pushing a “Fossil Fuels Forever” bill and calling it “Clean Energy First.” Sierra Club led the way, together with our allies, to keep pushing for an actual Clean Energy First bill, which would help reduce customers’ energy bills, create and sustain jobs throughout Minnesota, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate Champions Emerge in 2019
Even with the virus slowing things down in 2020, we still have plenty of information to judge legislators’ commitment to the environment. In 2019 the House of Representatives passed serious legislation on the environment. This included a bill for 100% Clean Energy by 2050 and an Omnibus Transportation Bill with real funding for expanding transit.
Unfortunately, Republicans in the Senate refused to support both those bills in 2019. House Republicans even voted overwhelmingly against a simple bill to acknowledge that climate change is real and caused by human activity. Senate Republicans took a similar vote.
House Environmentalists Organize into Climate Caucus
In September 2019, environmental legislators in the House organized into the House Climate Action Caucus, chaired by Rep. Patty Acomb, and held hearings in the fall preparing for the 2020 session. In February, they unveiled the “Minnesota Can-Do Climate Actions” a serious package of one-time appropriations to address the climate crisis. It included $191 million in new investments in solar, energy efficiency and other programs to reduce greenhouse gases and benefit public schools, homeowners, local governments, and nursing homes. Sierra Club was building support for this package when COVID-19 struck and the ensuing economic fall out wiped out the surplus that could have funded this entire package. As of this writing, we are seeking other funding for Solar on Schools and other pieces of the Can-Do Package.
Building a New Green Economy
2020 is a “bonding year,” when the legislature typically approves issuing bonds to fund building projects around the state. With historically low interest rates, many legislators recognized the bonding bill as Minnesota’s best tool to stimulate the economy. It’s also an opportunity to build a new, green economy. The Sierra Club and the Transportation Forward coalition pushed for big investments in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as well as bike and pedestrian infrastructure, like Safe Routes to School and water infrastructure. But, House Republicans threatened to stop any bonding bill if Governor Walz continued to use emergency powers to protect Minnesotans from the virus.
Senate Republicans offered a bonding package that disproportionately subsidized road projects in Republican districts at the expense of every other priority: clean air, clean water, transit, higher education and more. It included no money whatsoever for transit, biking and walking. With transportation now the leading cause of carbon pollution, this is unacceptable.
Senate Omnibus 'Environment' Bill
In a disturbing trend, like the Senate version of the “Clean Energy First” bill which really is a “Fossil Fuels Forever” bill, the Senate “Environment” bill was full of provisions that actually harm our environment. As an example, the Chair of the Senate Environment Committee Bill Ingebrigtsen threatened to not pass any environment bill unless it included language to strip Governor Walz of his existing authority to implement “Clean Cars,” which would protect our air and climate by requiring more stringent emissions standards. Like with so many bills, this threat prevented any agreement between the House and Senate before the end of the regular session.
Elections Matter
Throughout the 2019 and 2020 legislative sessions we have seen that elections matter — that the newly-elected environmental champions who took the House in 2018 have been pushing forward bold new policies. We have also seen the damage that is done when politicians in the pockets of big oil remain in power. The 2020 elections are critical. They provide us a chance to put environmental champions in power at the state Senate. With the state Senate led by environmental champions, we could pass the systems-changing legislation described above, which is desperately needed to transition to 100% clean energy by 2050 and realize the equitable, sustainable future we need.
*Note as of press time, June 10, the special session of the Legislature had not started. During the special session we anticipate continuing to push for bonding dollars for our priorities including clean energy and transit, and supporting systemic changes to address police brutality and racial injustice in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Check online for updates.
Peter Wagenius is the North Star Chapter Legislative & Political Director. When he’s not at the Capitol, you can find him chauffeuring his two young daughters around town on an amazing longtail cargo bike.