By 2040, every Minnesotan will have access to carbon-free electricity from the state’s utility companies. That’s the goal of a bill signed into law earlier this year by Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz. The “100 Percent by 2040” law puts Minnesota at the forefront of a small but growing number of efforts by state legislatures to tackle the climate crisis.
Anna Sorokina
In 2021, Oregon’s then Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, signed similar legislation into law. That law, known as “100 Percent Clean Energy for All,” requires the state’s energy providers to also transition to green, renewable sources of energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions entirely by 2040.
While many other states and the District of Columbia have highlighted the need to move away from carbon-based electricity sources, the 2040 deadline written into law in Oregon and Minnesota puts these two states ahead of the curve. California, which has long been regarded as a leader in the push to cut carbon emissions, is another example of a state setting a hard deadline. The state has said that by 2045 it will convert entirely to renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power.
Minnesota’s new legislation was supported by Xcel Energy, one of the state’s largest utility companies. Based in Minneapolis, Xcel provides electricity to about 3.7 million people across eight states. Each state sets its own regulations regarding the rates that Xcel can charge its customers, or the degree to which the company is required to pursue clean energy options.
While many states have laws calling for an increase in the use of renewable energy technology, most lack a specific timeline. North Dakota’s Republican governor, Doug Burgum, for example, signed a bill into law in 2021 that authorized the creation of a clean energy fund to study emerging green technology. (Burgum is currently running to be his party’s 2024 presidential nominee.)
Yet a 2040 deadline is only one aspect of Minnesota’s long-term environmental plans. Writing for Inside Climate News, Aydali Campa noted that Minnesota’s push toward renewable energy comes with protections for the workers who will be tasked with building new infrastructure, including living wage mandates. In addition, “large polluting incinerators” in or near “environmental justice communities” will not count toward Minnesota’s 100 percent clean energy goal for 2040. The state has also taken steps to prioritize low-income communities in its solar program.
With the state’s push to decarbonize its electricity supply by 2040 and the earmarking of millions of dollars for green jobs and environmental justice initiatives, Minnesota is leading by example when it comes to addressing the climate crisis in specific and actionable ways.
All of this puts Minnesota ahead of other Midwestern states in the climate crisis battle. But there’s more: In April, Walz signed a measure that sets aside $115 million to help the state win federal clean energy funding from the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. A month later, he signed a $2 billion energy and climate budget bill that “invests hundreds of millions of dollars in dozens of initiatives to cut greenhouse gas emissions, from funding for solar panels on schools to electric vehicle rebates,” MPR News reported.
That legislation includes a ban on PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals produced for decades by Minnesota-based manufacturing company 3M as a way to repel stains on fabric or to make pots and pans easier to clean. Traces of PFAS have since been linked to significant health problems in children and adults.
With the state’s push to decarbonize its electricity supply by 2040 and the earmarking of millions of dollars for green jobs and environmental justice initiatives, Minnesota is leading by example when it comes to addressing the climate crisis in specific and actionable ways.