No, really. The headline from Session Daily,
Working group energy agreement cuts back on funding of renewables.
The good news is confirmed with the bill’s introduction this morning (HF 7). Primarily the bill funds the budgets of the state Public Utilities Commission and the energy division of the state Department of Commerce. This year, the bill does little else.
Gone from the 2023 version of the budget are tens of millions of dollars in spending on electric buses, solar on schools, etc.
In addition to funding bureaucrats in St. Paul, the bill appropriates money from the Renewable Development Account (RDA), paid for by a utility bill surcharge on nuclear power.
Details from Session Daily about the shrinking ambitions of HF 7,
In 2023, $110.8 million was appropriated from the Renewable Development Account, while 2024 added $15.4 million.
The appropriation from the account in this year’s energy agreement is considerably smaller: $600,000 for the 2026-27 biennium.
This year’s RDA spending level represents a 99.5 percent reduction from the 2023 level.
The bill is expected to be passed by the legislature during today’s special session and signed by the governor.