Legislative Update 23 Feb 2024

This week's activities in the legislature

Feb 24, 2025

Please consider attending, submitting testimony, and contacting your own electeds to express your opinions about this legislation.

On Sunday, February 23rd, we heard from Tina Clarke on the amazing things Denmark is doing to transition from carbon-releasing energy technology to clean energy. Here are the slides, and a recording will be available at a later time. Right now, we want to get you the most current information about our legislative activities.

Please consider joining the DFLEC legislative committee!

Feb. 24 - 27 Committee Meetings of interest

Monday, Feb. 24

Feb. 24, Copper-nickel sulfide mining hearing, 10:15 am in Room 2308 Senate Office Building with Friends of the Boundary Waters. We are in not in favor of this kind of mining.
- Prove It First (HF954/SF1382)
- Bad Actor Bill (HF1197/SF1744)
- Taxpayer Protection (HF955/SF1383)
- Support HF309 / SF 875: Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness mining restrictions modified.
- Legacy Bill, Support HF309 / SF 875: Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness mining restrictions modified.
- Permanent Protection Bill (led by NMW/Save the Boundary Waters)

Congressional and Federal Legislative Updates

HR 588-McCollum’s permanent protection bill-support
HR 978-Stauber’s “Superior National Forest Restoration Act”-oppose

Tuesday, Feb. 25

9 am Senate Taxes Committee meets in Capitol G15
- S.F. 0769 Hauschild Certain data centers tax exemption modification
- Also a press conference on this bill at 11 am
- Framing on Data Centers from Hobie as energy black holes
- If you have handouts for the Committee, the Senate File number must be listed first in the electronic attachment title, an electronic copy must be emailed to Mitch Berggren, and 30 hard copies must be delivered to Capitol 328 by noon, Monday, February 24.
1 pm House Energy Finance Committee in Capitol 123
- Oppose HF 249: carbon free definition modified, adds wood for incineration
- Oppose HF 1311, Procedures governing cost recovery for public utility electric generation and transmission assets modified. Makes it more difficult to retire fossil fuel based power sources.
1 pm Environment Committee in Capitol G3
Support HF 1120 Keep our Lakes Clean, funding for DNR to do outreach regarding winter ice use, Bi-partisan support:
Support HF 1218, Funding from the environment and natural resources trust fund, prior appropriations modified, and money appropriated. Ask the House to keep it a clean bill as written, no amendments.