Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/tag/energy/page/3/)
Each week about fifty oil trains, each carrying more than 1 million gallons of North Dakota crude oil, pass through Minnesota. Almost all of them go through the Twin Cities.
Minnesota will be the first state in the nation to authorize a 10 percent blend of renewable biodiesel in petroleum diesel fuel on July 1, AgriNews reports. Continue Reading
Additional aid for low-income electricity customers, added protections for propane purchasers and a loan repayment program for homeowners who want to make energy-efficient improvements are among measures included in an omnibus energy bill passed Tuesday off the House floor.
Nearly 200 people showed up to El Norteño Restaurant in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 19, for a “Carrotmob” to support the efforts of the owners, Clemen and Estela Serna, to improve the energy eff
The Midwest and Great Lakes are quickly becoming a hub for transporting and refining one of the world’s dirtiest and most destructive fossil fuels on the planet: tar sands oil. Continue Reading
For longer than I can remember, my family has taken the same route from our farm in southeast Minnesota to visit my grandparents in north-central Wisconsin. The first leg of the four-hour trip takes us across the Mississippi River and through the farmland, pastures and rolling, wooded hills of Trempealeau and Jackson Counties. The landmarks and scenery along every mile of the route have become deeply familiar to us over countless trips in all seasons. Continue Reading
You’ve probably noticed the higher gas costs this winter. This is partly the deep cold. Most Corcoran homes are using more natural gas and high demand has sent prices soaring nationwide. Centerpoint has also raised rates to pay for repairs to an aging gas system.
Solar panels, vegetation and buzzing bees could all appear on Southeast Como roofs this summer.
Barring propane distributors from discontinuing wintertime service to the more than 200,000 Minnesotans who use the gas to heat their homes is the centerpiece of legislation OK’d by a House committee Monday, though the bill met heavy resistance from industry representatives who said it does nothing to address the causes of this winter’s propane shortage and would harm providers.
Lawmakers could soon vote on another measure aimed at guaranteeing energy assistance to Minnesota’s low-income residents.The House Energy Policy Committee approved a bill Monday, sponsored by Rep. Yvonne Selcer (DFL-Minnetonka), which would establish an annual $8 million base funding level for an electric rate discount program operated by Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility.Between 60,000 and 70,000 Xcel Energy customers are part of a low-income energy assistance program through the state’s largest utility each year, an Xcel spokesperson told lawmakers. It is a program, said Pam Marshall, the executive director of Energy CENTS Coalition, which “targets the very lowest of income levels.”The program is funded through fees paid by Xcel Energy customers and aimed at low-income Minnesotans who are part of the government-funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.HF2466 would also require base funding to increase in line with residential electricity rates approved by the state’s Public Utilities Commission. Currently, the program is funded at the level needed to provide a 50 percent discount on the first 400kWh consumed each month by low-income customers.“We’ve already seen the commitment from this Legislature” to help low-income Minnesotans with energy costs, Selcer said, referring to a bill signed into law last week that provides $20 million in emergency heating assistance funds. “This is another great way to help those in need.”The legislation is now poised for consideration by the full House. A Senate companion, SF2092, sponsored by Sen. D. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls), awaits action by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. Continue Reading