6.1. ERMUSR 03-08-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Vol. 14, No. 3 Feb. 18, 2011 Funny, after all the storm and drama the issue has raised over the years, but the Minnesota House of Representatives Thursday calmly passed a bill (HF 9, Rep. Peppin, R- Rogers) repealing the restriction against approval of state certificates of need for new nuclear generation. The vote was 81-50. Earlier, the Senate approved its version of the bill 50-14. The bills will now be reconciled in a conference committee. Gov. Mark Dayton's signature remains uncertain. The Senate Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee yesterday (Thursday, Feb. 17) heard testimony in regards to the state's Conservation Improvement Program (CIP). Testimony was taken from the Office of Energy Security (OES) and MMUA. Bill Grant and Jeff Haas of OES gave a 45-minute overview of the law. They made a couple points that MMUA agreed with, including stating savings that accrue over the lifetime of a project should be considered when determining annual energy savings and that supply-side savings should also be considered when tallying energy savings. Bob Jagusch, MMUA Director of Energy Services, and Larry Johnston of the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, testified on behalf of municipal utilities. Jagusch focused on how CIP affects utilities, especially those who are not affiliated with a power agency. He mentioned that municipal utilities, given their diversity, are a good testing ground for many different energy efficiency programs. Among the issues the Legislature may want to take a look at, Jagusch said, were how to quantify savings from 'behavioral' programs and how to better count savings from improvements made to the utility system. Johnston reinforced Jagusch's points and stressed the need for a serious discussion on how to make CIP work in the future. He advised the committee to consider'incentivizing' efficiency measures that provide energy savings over a longer term and those that save energy on the utility side of the meter. Testimony is expected next Tuesday from the investor-owned and cooperative electric utilities. No specific piece of legislation is being heard at this time. Afree-flowing discussion between interested parties is being considered following next week's hearing. On Tuesday, Feb. 15, the Senate Energy Committee heard testimony on the Renewable Development Fund. Some sentiment had been expressed leading up to the hearing on requiring •