A positive for electricity

Earlier this year, the Democratic controlled Minnesota Legislature passed a bill requiring that 100 percent of Minnesota’s electricity be produced from carbon free sources by 2040. Not surprisingly, Governor Walz signed the legislation into law. And, not surprisingly, Republicans squawked.

Why, I wondered, is climate chaos with its mega-droughts and mega-storms controversial and partisan?

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By Tim King

For the last decade or so Republicans have been saying wind and solar electric just aren’t reliable enough to go to 100 percent renewables. “What happens if it’s not windy or sunny” they repeated over and over again as the years passed and the storms got worse. While the nay-sayers were frozen in time, the clock was ticking for those living in reality. Between 2015 and today, 22 states, along with Puerto Rico and Washington DC, pledged to be 100 percent carbon free by 2050 or earlier. Little Rhode Island is shooting for 2033. A couple of the country’s most populous states, Illinois and New York, are shooting for 2040, just like Minnesota. California is planning for 2045.