6.2. ERMUSR 07-11-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Put together an RFP for consultants to provide power supply consulting services through MMUA. A consultant might be willing to bid low in the hope of getting multiple clients through MMUA. ~ Do a series of regional meetings devoted in part to wholesale power costs and the need to anticipate a tight market for some time to come. • Explore the possibility of joint municipal power projects, such as the one that New Ulm is considering. • Some form of contract management, discussed below, may help cities deal with complex power supply options. MMUA has been instrumental in working with Congressman Oberstar and potentially Senator Dayton to request a GAO study of MISO procedures and costs. APPA helped develop the list of questions and Michael Nolan is working with the offices that will be making the request. By the time of the planning session the request will probably have been submitted. What else should MMUA be doing to help municipals deal with and prepare for potential increases in power costs? Climate Change and Renewables As much as we might like it to, the issue of climate change won't go away. Over the past ten years opinion in the scientific community has coalesced solidly around the dual propositions that climate change is real and that it is driven at least in part by release of greenhouse gases from automobiles, power plants, manufacturing facilities, and other man-made sources. It also appears that we're approaching a tipping point in the prevailing opinion among two other important constituencies -the general public and elected officials. As an example, in the past year or so a number of religious denominations have adopted positions supporting the need to take action on climate change. In short, we seem to be approaching the point at which global warming, and the need to do something about it, will be accepted as established fact by most people. And where the general public goes the legislature and Congress are usually not too far behind. At the end of this year's legislative session the DFL-led Senate passed a mandate for 20% renewables by 2020. The Republican-led House ducked the issue by burying the omnibus energy bill, but there is no guarantee that we would see the same outcome next year. Most prognosticators think that this will be a tough election year for Republicans, and if the DFL picks up even a few house seats, they could control both chambers of the legislature. Even if the Republicans retain control of the house, support for renewables in the Republican caucus could build. Wind power is extremely popular in the Republican- dominated farm country of Western and Southern Minnesota, where it is seen as a