Good morning and happy Thursday.
The state Senate is expected to vote on a bill today that sets a goal for Minnesota to generate 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040. Confused as to what that might mean? MPR’s Kirsti Marohn has the answers: The bill includes two separate standards for renewable and carbon-free energy. A 2007 Minnesota law already requires utilities to get at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. The state achieved that goal early, in 2017. This bill would bump that amount up to 55 percent renewable by 2035. It also creates a new carbon-free standard. It requires utilities that do business in Minnesota to get a percentage of their electricity from carbon-free sources — starting with 80 percent by 2030, 90 percent by 2035 and, finally, 100 percent by 2040. The bill defines renewable energy as solar, wind, hydropower, hydrogen and biomass, such as a plant that burns garbage or wood to produce electricity. There is one exception in the bill — the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, or HERC, which burns trash for energy in downtown Minneapolis. It's been a source of environmental justice concerns over the years because of the air pollution it emits. The bill’s authors say that facility should not be considered in the same category as other renewable energy sources such as solar or wind. Another change: Previously, only energy from small hydropower projects under 100 megawatts qualified as renewable. The bill lifts that restriction, so large, existing hydropower projects would now qualify.
In Washington the House Republican majority is expected to vote today to remove Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee for comments she has made about Israel, even though she has apologized for them. The Associated Press reports: “We’ll have enough votes,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said late Wednesday. The resolution proposed by Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, a former official in the Trump administration, says, “Omar’s comments have brought dishonor to the House of Representatives.” The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, argued for excluding Omar on the panel during a recent closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans. “It’s just that her worldview of Israel is so diametrically opposed to the committee’s,” McCaul told reporters in describing his stance. “I don’t mind having differences of opinion, but this goes beyond that.” Omar has said that, in reality, “it is about revenge. It’s about appeasing the former president,” referring to Donald Trump. Democrats have little recourse at this point. “We are united that she should be seated on the committee,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the committee. Omar told CNN last weekend that efforts to kick her off the committee were politically-motivated. "And in some cases its motivated by the fact that many of these members don't believe a Muslim, a refugee, an African, should even be in Congress," she said.
Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill Wednesday that bans discrimination based on a person's natural hair texture or style. Supporters brought forward what's called the CROWN Act after Black Minnesotans reported discrimination in the workplace and in schools because of their hair. MPR’s Nicole Ki got some reaction at a hair salon last weekend: Kassidy Curtis, 26, said she was bullied in school for having kinky, curly hair. As a result, Curtis would wake up at 5 a.m. to flatten her curls before school and avoid pools and beaches so her hair wouldn’t revert to its natural state. “Just straightening your hair every single day is just terrible for your hair,” said Curtis, a client at the salon. “It took years for my hair to grow out and for me to even get comfortable with it to the point where it's like ‘OK, I'll wear it natural.’ It took forever.” As a licensed hairdresser with over 25 years of experience working with natural hair, Kemi Lawani, owner of Bonita’s Extensions and Braids, said the beauty industry should take more responsibility in destigmatizing natural hairstyles and increasing education on healthier methods to treat hair types of African Americans. Lawani said only a small percent of the beauty industry is geared towards natural hair. “We shouldn’t even have a law that protects our hair,” Lawani said. “We’re human. You know, we’re not a thing. We’re not an item. But also, can they change what’s really causing this problem? Can they fix the educational piece of it?”
The last round of campaign finance reports for 2022 confirm that Minnesota Democrats outspent Republicans. The Star Tribune reports: DFLers on the statewide ticket largely outspent their rivals and were aided by robust party fundraising and the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which inundated Minnesotans with ads. The Alliance and dozens of other groups from both sides of the aisle channeled a whopping $62 million in independent spending to state races last year, nearly twice as much as the last midterm election. In his bid for a second term, DFL Gov. Tim Walz spent close to double his GOP challenger, Scott Jensen, according to campaign finance reports available Wednesday. Walz defeated Jensen by 8 percentage points. The governor reported spending $9.8 million, according to year-end reports due at the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board Tuesday. His challenger, former GOP Sen. Scott Jensen spent $5.5 million.
What law would you most like to see Congress pass? A recent poll of Americans suggests many people want term limits for politicians. The APM Research Lab has a look at the poll: The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s most recent Mood of the Nation Poll asked Americans what law they would choose, in their own words, if they could enact any law at the start of the new Congress. The results show that Americans are eager for political and electoral reform, especially instituting term limits. Poll director Eric Plutzer noted, “I think it says a lot that term limits and similar reforms are the first things that come to mind for so many people. Many Americans are prioritizing fixing the system over any particular policy that might contribute to security, freedom, equality or prosperity. That’s a symptom of deep frustration with government and how it has been functioning — or not — lately.”
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