Two quick updates from today:
Dedicated Funding
Passed by the Taxes and Ways and Means committees today. Only committee left is Rules (coincidently chaired by the bill author) before a floor vote.
Clean Energy
The conference committee hasn’t met yet to my knowledge, but there is some speculation that the Governor would veto the bill if the infamous Section 5 remains. It’s already been whacked away at, so I’m not sure what his worries would be. Such a drastic action would not match his rhetoric from last December. From a press release following the RES bill sigining:
“Minnesota’s electric utilities should prepare for the future by offsetting carbon emissions from new fossil-fuel generation sources,” Governor Pawlenty said. “As we look to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we should not make the situation worse while we try to make it better.”
Jon:
I’m giving a keynote speech to the League of Women Voters convention tomorrow and will be talking about dedicated funding. I hope at the end of today you will post the latest if any action occurs today. Thanks for the good work.
Paula West
It now sounds unlikely that dedicated funding will be on the House floor until Friday.