Minnesota is now into the fifth year of a long-term plan to effectively ban the use of natural gas for most homes and businesses. This plan is called the “Natural Gas Innovation Act” or NGIA, which was signed into law by Governor Walz in June 2021. Spoiler Alert: this is at a time currently when residential electricity prices are 438% more expensive than natural gas ones.
Plan
I first warned about this nefarious plan in June here, then examined it in fine detail in July here. The following provision from page 9, of the 10 pages NGIA, sets out the end game:
Subd. 10. Throughput goal. It is the goal of the state of Minnesota that through the Natural Gas Innovation Act, utilities reduce the overall amount of natural gas produced from conventional geologic sources delivered to customers.
The primary means to this end can be found halfway down page 1 of the NGIA inside the following definition:
Subdivision 1. Definitions. (i) “Innovative resource” means biogas, renewable natural gas, power-to-hydrogen, power-to-ammonia, carbon capture, strategic electrification, district energy, and energy efficiency.
These means will be paid for by Minnesotans through higher rates on, and through less supply of, natural gas as indicated in this somewhat obscure provision on page 8 that:
Subd. 4. Innovative resources procured outside of an innovation plan. (a) … a natural gas utility may propose and the commission may approve cost recovery for: (2) utility expenditures for innovative resources … per unit of natural gas that the innovative resource displaces.
Process
The NGIA process is governed by “the commission” mentioned in the provision above. That being the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission or PUC, which stated in November 2021:
The NGIA establishes a framework to allow natural gas utilities to meet Minnesota’s greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy goals through innovative resources. … needed to decarbonize natural gas service[.]
The PUC has a web page devoted to the NGIA, including the following on “Why it matters:”
The NGIA and its innovation plans enable gas utilities to begin testing methods to reduce their emissions, and in some cases, transfer their business away from natural gas entirely. The results of approved pilots will lay the groundwork for future decarbonization efforts in the state and help gas utilities achieve the state’s goal of economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.
The PUC approved the initial plans for CenterPoint in October 2024 and Xcel in May 2025. The process for each of these began in June and December 2023 respectively. CenterPoint interestingly noted on page 3 of their plan that:
Decarbonizing the natural gas sector requires a different approach than decarbonizing the electricity sector, and CenterPoint has crafted a plan that uses innovative resources to reduce GHG emissions and natural gas throughput.
Progress
The next stage of the process are the annual reports to the PUC by both CenterPoint and Excel on their NGIA progress so far. Their 2025 ones were submitted in 2026, on June 1 and June 15 respectively.
A key highlight from the CenterPoint annual report is regarding geothermal heat pumps:
District Energy has [the] potential to transform how utilities provide heating and cooling services to customers. Included…are details on the site selection and feasibility study process for the New Networked Geothermal Pilot (Pilot I) to date, including the Company’s process for identifying over 80 candidate sites, and the steps taken to identify the top three from which the final project site will be identified.
A key highlight from the Xcel annual report is also regarding geothermal heat pumps:
At a high level, the Company hopes to learn more about whether this technology [of Community Ground Source Heat Pump or Utility Thermal Energy Network (UTEN)] can be used to decarbonize our gas utility system, cost effectively, at scale. The more specific learning objectives for this pilot are…understanding the challenges and solutions for securing customer participation for this technology, including costs[.]
Price
All of the “innovative resources” are aimed at replacing natural gas use, including for heating in winter, with renewable electricity use. In fact, six of the eight listed use a lot of electricity. That six includes the most favored one of strategic electrification, which in turn includes geothermal heat pumps that can result in four times the usage of electricity in winter.
The next three charts are based on: data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA); and the comparison formulas of the US Department of Energy (DOE). The first chart below shows that residential electricity in 2025 was 438% more expensive than natural gas.
The shocking figure of 438% is the energy price ratio, which is simply the residential electricity price of $46.38 dived by the residential natural gas price of $10.59, expressed as a percentage. As can be seen in the second chart below, the MN ratio is nearly double that in 2005 of 224%, however, noting it was not too far off triple that in 1978 at 531%.
The three key things to notice in the third chart below are that: 1.) EIA’s data on natural gas use expanded in 1997 to include industrial and electric power customers along with residential and commercial; 2.) residential and commercial use has declined, whilst industrial was relatively flat and electric power exploded; and 3.) the latter two can be exempted from the NGIA’s requirements.
Participate
The PUC issued a “Notice of Comment Period” on June 23, 2026 for Excel as follows:
- Party Initial comment period closes August 19, 2026 at 4:30pm;
- Utility Reply comment period closes September 18, 2026 at 4:30pm;
- Party Reply comment period closes October 21, 2026 at 4:30pm.
The PUC has since issued a “Notice of Extended Comment Period” on July 17, 2026 for CenterPoint as follows:
- The new deadline for party initial comments is August 14, 2026 at 4:30pm;
- The new deadline for utility reply comments is September 16, 2026 at 4:30pm;
- The new deadline for party reply comments is October 14, 2026 at 4:30pm.
Anyone from the public can and should comment. Not just on the details of the plans and reports, but also on the ends, means and costs of the NGIA. One can submit comments here:
- Online: https://mn.gov/puc/get-involved/public-comments/, and follow the instructions.
- Email: [email protected]
- U.S. Mail: Consumer Affairs Office, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, 121 7th Place East, Suite 350, St. Paul MN 55101
Conclusion
The NGIA is not about “Natural Gas Innovation,” but instead “Innovation” away from “Natural Gas” towards expensive electricity. And electricity became costly for the same reason and in the same way. That reason is the unscientific fear of catastrophic climate change. That way is forcing affordable and reliable energy off the grid for unaffordable and unreliable energy.
Source: Oklahoma Natural Gas