Minnesota moves toward 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040

By Steve Karnowski Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) —

Minnesota utilities would be obligated to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 to step up the fight against climate change under a bill speeding through the Legislature.

The bill was slated for a final vote on the Senate floor Thursday night after passing the House 70-60 last week. It’s a top priority for Democrats, who control both chambers, and for Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who has made it an important part of his climate agenda.

“Climate change is coming and has been here, and it affects everything we do,” the lead author, Democratic Sen. Nick Frentz, of North Mankato, said at the start of a debate that was expected to last well into the night.

The Senate’s two meteorologists — Democratic

Brooklyn Park Park

From 3 From our official newspaper.” The communications manager went on to explain, “Sun Post is currently the official newspaper and unless something changes, they will remain so.”

“We are also interested in exploring further partnerships with Sun Post.” This is an attempt to diversify the drop sites, and serve the residents better. The communications

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From 3 technology, the cost is steep so patients who stand to benefit the most from these new treatments are often left in a lurch.

Until 2018, there were effective copay assistance programs that helped provide financial support to many patients. These programs were designed by drug manufacturers and non-profits with the intention to provide financial assistance

Coach Leah

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Sens. Nicole Mitchell, of Woodbury, and Robert Kupec, of Moorhead — detailed for their colleagues how climate change is accelerating across Minnesota.

They said it’s leading to more extreme weather events, as well as hotter summers with more droughts and warmer winters with shorter ice-fishing seasons.

Senate Republicans said they planned to offer a long list of amendments that they said would reduce the costs to consumers and risks to the power grid, but the oneseat Democratic majority held firm on the first several votes.

According to the Clean Energy States Alliance, 21 other states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have already established some kind of 100% clean-energy standards or goals, most with target dates between 2040 and 2050.

Minnesota’s previous standard, set in 2007 by a Democratic-controlled Legislature and Republican manager added, …” there folks in the city who are not able to access the information that they need with things the way they are right now. We want to increase our outreach to other print and digital outlets for everything that we do.”

Council member Boyd Morson questioned the value of the relationship with the Sun Post. This is because the culturally-relevant information about the city was lacking. He said; “…I have seen the Sun Post news cause I brought a copy today, to show that I’m dissatisfied with this copy. As to patients, which would allow them to hit their out-of-pocket maximum sooner. By hitting this maximum, insurance would then cover the rest of the cost for their treatment.

But a loophole in the language of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows insurers to shift the cost back to patients. While the ACA requires that most insurance plans cover “Essential Health Benefits,” specialty medications were left out of that designation. This means that it is left up to the discretion of insurers and PBMs to decide whether they consider specialty to professional leagues and sports organizations.

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty, set a goal of reducing overall statewide greenhouse emissions to at least 15% below 2005 levels by 2015, 30% by 2025 and 80% by 2050.

State regulators reported Tuesday that Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions declined by 23% between 2005 and 2020 and

I said the last time, they do not represent who we are.” He went further to complain about the official newspaper not talking about African Americans in the city. “They don’t cover these stories. They don’t talk about these stories and they don’t fully represent or engage a diverse population within our community.” Furthermore, he said, “People of color do not even read this publication.” Morson said; “I am not in support of Sun Post News as a continuation of just being the city paper. I think other medications to be essential. If a drug is categorized as “nonessential,” then the insurers don’t have to count any financial assistance from copay assistance programs toward a patient’s out-of-pocket maximum. For people being treated with specialty medicines, there is no question that their treatment is essential—and most often there are no alternatives for new treatments because a generic option isn’t available yet. This loophole also ignores the fact that medication expenses can easily compound as patients work with their and presently, is the home for urban news and information that matters to us – the consumer of relevant lifestyle products, goods, and services. Timing is everything – and there’s no better time than the present to reintroduce athletics and active lifestyle information and offerings to the avid Insight News reader and subscriber.

Will the Insight News –Sports cover local sports from a local viewpoint?

Absolutely! Although technology has “changed the game,” literally and figuratively, allowing for information and activities to be covered from farther distances and faster than ever, there’s no said the state was on track to achieve 30% by 2025. The biggest drop was in power generation, where emissions fell 54% amid the switch from coal to renewable energy. This year’s bill aims to further shift utilities away from fossil fuels to wind and solar, but it also allows them to use options would be explored.” He then urged the council not to make the final decision then, but to table it to a later date for more information on the way forward. Critical of Sun Post coverage of communities of color, which make up the majority of Brooklyn Park residents, Morson said “I don’t want to be a part of any other history. They’ve been here for a while. It’s been a tradition and this tradition, in my opinion, has expired. I would like an opportunity for other papers to be contacted to offer what they doctor to figure out the most comfortable option or what is most effective. Ultimately, all this amounts to people not being able to access the best treatment available to manage their illness.

I applaud the actions of my predecessor, former representative, and current Commissioner Rena Moran, for her legislation introduced last year that would have updated our laws to prohibit insurers and PBMs from continuing this practice and enabling patients to once again, access the lifesaving medications they desperately need. However, her bill never substitute for multigenerational relationships and home-grown experiences that create the interesting and unique stories that our Insight News - Sports will tell each week. Being born and raised in Minnesota matters!

How will Insight News –Sports be different this time around and from other sports columns? Although Insight News is the largest minority owned and distributed print publication in Minnesota, nationally it is a highly respected publication for quality journalism and has evolved over the years to effectively utilize social media, multimedia live, and hydropower, biomass, hydrogen and existing nuclear plants to go carbon-free. Utilities that can’t quit coal or gas on their own could ask regulators to let them use “off ramps” to delay compliance, or they could use renewable energy credits to make up the difference.

Minnesota’s biggest utility, Xcel Energy, supports the legislation, saying it fits with its own goals, even though company officials say they’re not exactly sure yet how they’ll get all the way to carbon-free by 2040. But the state’s smaller rural electric cooperatives and municipal power systems say it would be a lot harder for them and that the costs to their customers will be high.

Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and other top officials in his state threatened last week to sue Minnesota if the bill is enacted, saying it would prevent North Dakota utilities from continuing to export power generated from can do.”

“The Insight News is out there already.” According to Morson, The Insight News reaches the population, providing information for a diverse community.

These were the decisions made; Tabling the decision on which vendor to award the official city newspaper status to a later date. Morson suggested moving the decision to the end of February but Mayor Hollies J. Winston offered a motion to amend that, “…to table for until the end of March; to the last made it out of committee, and we have yet to see one introduced this year. Therefore, I am calling on the 2023 Legislature to prioritize the well-being of those with chronic illnesses and to close the loopholes that prevent so many from accessing the best possible medicine.

Legislation has also been introduced in the 2021-2022 U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support as H.R. 5801, the Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act. Had this gone past committee and into law, it would have amended the Public streaming platforms including Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and the ever popular, www. insightnews.com where you will also find the eEdition. Utilizing the multimedia platforms, Insight News – Sports will be home base for CoachLeah’s After the Whistle – the Vodcast sports column that will present timely video, audio, and print formatted interviews. After the Whistle covers everything outside of sports, off the field, and off the court, of your favorite athletes’ interesting lives.

So, I’m ready and excited to take this new journey with you. Insight News –Sports, will present a fresh approach to sports reporting.

Be sure to tune in to all the Insight News’ live streaming platforms - LinkedIn Live, Facebook Live, and YouTube live for Conversations with coal and gas to Minnesota. GOP critics in Minnesota have dubbed it a “blackout bill,” saying that it will undermine the reliability of the state’s power grid — especially on the coldest winter nights and hottest summer days — in addition to forcing consumers to pay higher energy costs. They held a news conference before the debate to propose a different approach, which would repeal the state’s moratorium on new nuclear power plants and allow utilities to continue to use gas and coal to ensure reliable baseload power supplies.

“Democrats are pushing for strict mandates to force utilities and our energy producers to use carbon-free energy at a pace that current technology does not support,” GOP Sen. Andrew Matthews, of Princeton, told reporters. “Hoping that cleaner technology becomes available along the way up to the goals is not a plan.” meeting in March.”

The city manager had other thoughts; “I would suggest the first meeting in April,” or “have the initial conversation sooner.” In the end, the motion with this amendment was passed. Mayor Hollies J. Winston instructed the city staff to “come up with some more options in terms of how we can legally meet those requirements, but also create a better reach, whether it is with the official paper or other resources.”

Health Service Act to apply additional payments, discounts, and other financial assistance towards the cost-sharing requirements of health insurance plans and for other purposes. I am forever grateful for the medical innovations created here in Minnesota that assisted my mother with her treatment and proud of the coverage that the ACA brought about to so many patients suffering. However, the expanded coverage under the ACA is rendered useless unless people have equal access and the ability to afford their treatments.

Al McFarlane. Stay tuned for CoachLeah’s After the Whistle – The Vodcast. In the meantime, be sure to enjoy Insight News-Sports “reimagined” each week. 20 years have flown by… but I am grateful for a soft place to land … back at home with Insight News.

I’d love to hear from you. What type of sporting news would you like to see here on a weekly basis at Insight News – Sports? What type of athletics and organizations are you interested in knowing more about? Send us a note. We’ll do our very best to make your request a reality in print at Insight News - Sports.

Sincerely Yours in Sports! CoachLeahTM Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @CoachLeah40 or at www.CoachLeah.net