Letters: Hooray for the Clean Energy bill

History was made last month when 34 strong DFL senators at the Minnesota State Capitol delivered the critical commitment to safeguard our children’s future.

The Minnesota 100 Percent Clean Energy bill, passed by the DFL on party-line Senate and House votes, represents the single-most important action fighting the enormous costs and deadly effects of global warming in Minnesota history. Combined with enormous financial incentives Congress created in the bipartisan 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the landmark climate-action 2022 Inflation Reduction Act passed by Democrats only, this new law rapidly and beneficially helps Minnesotans approach the important global goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Our region’s DFL lawmakers, including Sen. Grant Hauschild, were critically important in the creation and passage of this watershed legislation; please THANK all our Minnesota DFL legislators for their wisdom and vision. Their courageous votes created the opportunity for transformation to our equitable Minnesota clean energy economy, vital to developing new jobs and industries, reducing energy costs, improving the health and welfare of all Minnesotans, while protecting our environment.

Our DFL leaders chose investing in our clean energy future, dramatically reducing the sources of pollution responsible for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually in the U.S. and $175 billion in 2022 severe-weather-related costs to Americans.

Climate change represents the existential challenge of our lifetimes. We must meet this challenge to give our children, and theirs to come, a livable future. Much work remains to be done; these new laws bring us nearly 50 percent of the change needed to meet our national commitment of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Thanks to our DFL Minnesota legislators, Minnesota is a national leader in safeguarding our children’s future.

Michael Overend

Two Harbors