Laserfiche WebLink
ELK RIVER MUNICIPAL UTILITIES <br /> RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF BALANCED <br /> CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION <br /> WHEREAS the Minnesota State Legislature recently passed Renewable Energy Standard (RES) <br /> legislation requiring 25% of utility companies generation portfolio to be produced by renewable <br /> generation by the year 2025, and <br /> WHEREAS the RES legislation would reduce the amount of additional CO2 being emitted into <br /> the environment by Minnesota utilities, and <br /> WHEREAS the legislature is now considering major climate change legislation that could have <br /> significant impacts on achieving the recently adopted RES as well as on the ability of Minnesota <br /> utilities to meet the growing needs of the citizens of the State of Minnesota as well as <br /> neighboring states, and <br /> WHEREAS legislators are urged to consider the result of significantly more expensive power <br /> due to climate change legislation and the impact that would have on economic development <br /> throughout rural Minnesota, and <br /> WHEREAS any climate change legislation adopted by the State of Minnesota needs to consider <br /> the proper balance between reducing CO2 emissions and meeting the growing energy needs of <br /> the citizens of the State of Minnesota to ensure the continued health and vitality of the Minnesota <br /> economy, and <br /> WHEREAS the currently proposed legislation only targets the utility sector and ignores the more <br /> significant CO2 emissions from other sectors of the economy, <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Elk River Municipal Utilities urges the <br /> Minnesota Legislature to develop climate change legislation that will broadly consider the CO2 <br /> emissions of all segments of the economy rather than only select segments of the economy, and <br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature is urged to consider the technological <br /> feasibility of legislation being considered as well as the ability to meet the growing energy needs <br /> of the citizens of Minnesota under any climate change legislation being considered, and <br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Elk River Municipal Utilities supports a deliberative <br /> approach to the passage of climate change legislation by the State of Minnesota involving an in <br /> depth study of the economic,technological and environmental elements to be considered in any <br /> such legislation, and <br /> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such a study be carried out in an environment that <br /> recognized the adopted goals of the Minnesota RES but does not prohibit the electric utility <br /> segment from meeting the needs of the growing Minnesota economy. <br /> Passed by the Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission by a unanimous vote on April 10, <br /> 2007. <br /> Bryan Adams, P.E. <br /> General Manager <br /> Elk River Municipal Utilities <br />