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~ Governor first outlined 25 x ’25 goal in 2006 State of the State, emphasized it again this year ~ Minnesota moves to the head of the pack of states with renewable energy standards today with Governor Tim Pawlenty's signature on bipartisan legislation that sets a renewable energy requirement of 25 percent by 2025. Governor Pawlenty first proposed a "25 by '25" goal in his 2006 State of the State address. The Governor renewed the call to advance Minnesota's leadership on renewable energy as part of his "Next Generation Energy Initiative" unveiled in December 2006 and again in his 2007 State of the State address. The legislation signed today builds on significant laws proposed by the Governor and signed into law in the past few years, including a doubling of the state’s ethanol standard to E20 by 2013; promotion of locally owned renewable energy projects through the use of a new financing tool known as the Community-Based Energy Development tariff; and the Mercury Reduction Act of 2006. “In many ways, Minnesota has been the birthplace of the renewable energy movement,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Today, we are leading the nation on the path to a better, cleaner, more independent energy future. I want to thank all of the legislators and stakeholders who worked together to achieve this milestone in a positive, productive way.” The bill signed by the Governor requires energy companies to provide 25 percent of power from renewable sources by 2025. Xcel Energy, which supplies approximately half of the electricity in the state, is required to provide 30 percent from renewable sources by 2020. An additional 5,000 megawatts of energy from renewable sources would be added to Minnesota's electricity resources, roughly eight times more than currently comes from renewables. Future renewable energy would include electricity produced by wind turbines, biomass, hydrogen and solar power. Senator Ellen Anderson (DFL-St. Paul) and Representative Aaron Peterson (DFL-Appleton) were chief authors of the legislation. The Governor took the opportunity to encourage the legislature to pass the other initiatives contained in his "Next Generation Energy Initiative," including his plan to increase the number of E85 gas pumps in the state from 300 to 1800, encourage local ownership of energy production to benefit rural Minnesota, promote the development of cellulosic ethanol and advanced biomass technologies, increase conservation and reduce carbon emissions. “This is a significant step, but there is still much more work that needs to be accomplished this session," Governor Pawlenty said. “Rather than stopping here, I hope this bill will provide encouragement for us to tackle the remaining important energy issues in front of us. We can do this in a way that allows for the right response to changing markets, consumer demand and regulatory conditions and maintains reliability and affordable energy rates and costs.” Additional proposals in the Governor's "Next Generation Energy Initiative" are: More Renewable
More Energy Conservation
Less Carbon Emissions
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