Biden's Climate Plans Offer Hope For MN Environmentalists, Unions

By Mike Moen, Public News Service

April 26, 2021

MONTEVIDEO, Minn. -- World leaders, including President Joe Biden, are now tasked with guiding new climate goals outlined in a virtual summit last week.

In Minnesota, backers of the administration's approach say rural areas and those needing stable jobs could benefit.

In addition to his pledge to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, Biden proposes $10 billion to work with rural electric cooperatives on shifting toward clean-energy generation.

Erik Hatlestad, energy democracy program director for the rural nonprofit Clean Up the River Environment, said it would help in Minnesota, noting many co-ops get their power from coal plants in neighboring North Dakota.

"For a long time, rural utilities just because of their structure, haven't had the same incentives available to them for clean energy buildout," Hatlestad explained.

He noted the Biden infrastructure plan addresses that gap.

Minnesota has its own carbon-reduction goals, including ones laid out by larger utilities in the region.

In Washington, Senate Republicans say states dependent on oil production will suffer under Biden's approach, while objecting to tax increases on corporations to pay for plans laid out in the infrastructure package.

Kevin Pranis, Minnesota and North Dakota campaign director for the Laborers International Union of North America, said as for jobs, local wind and solar projects have been mindful in recent years to hire more in-state workers and offer them union-standard wages.

"We're really looking forward to the Biden proposal creating some big investments, but making sure those big investments are tied to standards that ensure these are good jobs for local workers," Pranis explained.

He added updating aging infrastructure to improve things such as water quality could open up job opportunities for local workers. He hopes the approach includes detailed planning so that new systems are reliable.

Prior to the pandemic, both the White House and trade groups said Minnesota had more than 61,000 clean-energy jobs before the pandemic put some of those workers on unemployment.

Leaders Summit on Climate American Jobs Plan Minnesota carbon-reduction initiatives White House Minnesota fact sheet

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