With the wind and ethanol industries generating thousands of jobs in Minnesota, state Senator Ellen Anderson is advancing a proposal that would require energy companies to derive 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025, according to a recent report from Minnesota Public Radio.
According to the report, the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications unanimously passed the bill, which is supported by a rare coalition of environmentalists, utility companies, the state Chamber of Commerce, as well as a group of Senators and Governor Tim Pawlenty. Gov. Pawlenty champions alternative energy as a strategic move to modernize Minnesota's economy, reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, and conserve his state's unique environment.
"I think we just experienced a revolution in Minnesota," Senator Anderson told MPR. "This is a very strong bill that would lead the nation in terms of its requirements for new renewable energy and for wind energy."
With the legislation likely to pass, Minnesota is poised to become the clear-cut leader of alternative energy innovation in the greater Great Lakes region, if they're not already there.
