Dana Melius

Minnesota legislators have approved an environmental budget bill that includes tougher vehicle emissions standards, but the battle is far from over.

Horse trading isn’t going so well in the Minnesota Legislature’s final week of the 2021 session. Disagreements between the Democratic-Farmer-Labor-controlled House of Representatives and the Republican-led Senate over new car emission standards could push budget talks into a special session. At issue is a May 7 administrative law judge’s ruling...

Renewable energy became the largest source of electricity in Minnesota in 2020 at 29%, BloombergNEF reported last week. At the same time, the share of zero-carbon electricity (renewables and nuclear) increased to 55% from 48% in 2019. How Minnesota compares with the U.S. average for key power system metrics |...

Minnesota Rep. Todd Lippert (DFL) knows the state’s divided political environment could halt significant climate legislation, but he is pushing forward anyway because he says his Northfield community has seen the impact of climate change firsthand. "Flooding is an intensifying concern," says Lippert, who also serves the community as a...

Minnesota has fallen far short of emission reductions established in 2007 by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but the chance for bipartisan agreement on a course correction appears slim, according to legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle. Considered historic at the time, the bipartisan "Next Generation Energy Act" requires...