[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6617036,"mediaKeyId","2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65","parentId",2844032,"title","Committee lays over bill to require data centers to help fund grid upgrades, set community protections","audioSeconds",3295,"startMs",44335,"endMs",3339840,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65&start=44&end=3339","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65/thumbnail_44335.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6617036/Minnesota/Committee-lays-over-bill-to-require-data-centers-to-help-fund-grid-upgrades-set-community-protections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617036-28b000909e6dc1574e96868f057dacf7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771071398&Signature=BEkFp4CSJ8MOvPXw~nRbODo85xLBjWwoAFMJvoMIkmr5c4avs15D8YsR2M1~zEdvLVlhtQR9GBKhzyAruw1Wq2InpJcKWsHPAzLcxmHISTYZSYqEMmfXkBpIB3-k7UpG40Q767QtO~1bPqA3xKudQDGk-URORrNlMNLJvCt6BHYU7anjUyPa85XSOA6ZwFJcEUyU~UttrRVi7cmShz47V8lOWNnmsGxRuvHUyCBMIpz33CwIi7ZxvQ5BgeIMj4wefPQXEZ-vXxg3~h-jlEFXZQ18ZbiHGBEYjxV3q9JXvn~4S7eBybiCvqbpHH-LNGJ1o-3CMxoY96KOILwGRLRdoA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-04-02T02:53:54.43Z","article","House File 2928, carried by Chair Acom, was amended (A2) and laid over for possible inclusion after a committee hearing that drew utilities, consumer advocates, state agencies and proponents and opponents from the data center industry.

The bill, as described by the author, has three goals: require environmental review to protect natural resources, create a community benefit program to promote energy efficiency and weatherization, and add consumer protections to ensure data centers pay for the generation and transmission capacity they require. \"The bill develops a community benefit program to help achieve that efficiency,\" the author said during introductory remarks.

Why it matters: committee members and testifiers framed the proposal as an attempt to balance economic development opportunities from data center investment with potential risks to Minnesota’s grid reliability, water resources and ratepayers. Several witnesses argued that, without guardrails, rapid data center load growth could threaten the state’s statutory goal of 100% carbon‑free electricity by 2040 and could shift infrastructure costs onto residential customers.

Consumer advocates and state agencies urged protections. Annie Levinson Faulk, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota, said section 10 — described in the amendment as a \"clean energy tariff\" — is “primarily about ensuring that the costs and the risks from new data center customers are not shifted onto existing rate payers.” Faulk told the committee that experience in other states shows serving data centers without cost shifts is \"a very narrow needle to thread.\" Cindy Lee of the Minnesota Department of Commerce told lawmakers that the bill’s requirement for finer‑grained (hourly) carbon accounting would align state policy with emerging practices and federal guidance, and that existing utility REC tracking could be extended to support more granular tracking.

Water and siting concerns were raised by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Katie Smith, director of the DNR’s Ecological and Water Resources Division, told the committee that water availability varies across the state and that early coordination with DNR is important, because the agency often does not learn of water‑intensive proposals until a permit application is filed, which can make mitigation and redesign costly or infeasible.

Utilities and utility associations expressed mixed views. Great River Energy and Dakota Electric said existing statutes and regulatory processes can protect members and ratepayers and suggested some requirements in the bill could be redundant or expensive. Great River Energy argued that an hourly matching requirement would be \"challenging and very likely expensive with minimal if any benefits from a total carbon accounting perspective.\" Dakota Electric said it has received inquiries representing thousands of megawatts of potential load and that it is already addressing carbon compliance in planning.

Industry groups and developers argued against mandated public disclosure and additional permitting burdens. Dan DiIorio of the Data Center Coalition emphasized concerns about public reporting of facility‑level energy and water use, saying such disclosures raise competitive and security concerns and that cost and rate design issues are best addressed in regulatory proceedings before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Industry and employer groups including the Minnesota Chamber told the committee that new regulatory burdens could deter investment and associated local tax revenues.

Other public commenters favored the bill’s protections and community benefits. Witnesses from the Center for Energy and Environment and the Energy Cents Coalition supported provisions that would direct data center contributions toward weatherization and low‑income programing designed to protect ratepayers while enabling beneficial electrification.

Formal action taken: Chair Acom moved adoption of the A2 amendment and to lay over House File 2928 for possible inclusion; the chair announced the amendment was adopted and the bill was laid over. No final policy decision was made; the bill was laid over for further consideration.

Where the process goes next: committee members and the author signaled additional stakeholder work. The author said she remains open to further conversations with utilities, developers and advocates on implementation details and the balance between community protections and economic development.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Energy Finance and Policy Committee 4/1/25","oneSentenceSummary","House File 2928, carried by Chair Acom, was amended (A2) and laid over after testimony from utilities, state agencies, consumer advocates and data center industry representatives on how to protect ratepayers, water resources and Minnesota’s clean‑energy goals as the state considers more data center development.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6617022,"Bipartisan agrivoltaics bill would create specialty license plate to fund habitat‑friendly solar and define agrivoltaics",0,5615074,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65&start=5615&end=5615","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65/thumbnail_5615074.jpg","/articles/6617022/Minnesota/Bipartisan-agrivoltaics-bill-would-create-specialty-license-plate-to-fund-habitatfriendly-solar-and-define-agrivoltaics","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617022-33c67b20606f7ceae19c42f1e544a84c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771071398&Signature=eIJ6qtJ1w6IU-AOZaNv35O7M5sZJKw~Yaug6D2MXI0~0~z-MHnoJj0tPth75oDeoV8OwQkKrRTC~~bhx9yJhPg7H9fRbAaF8aL2u6Kn1Px6B~wXapWJ091wflqkPR9S5Kc1Hc5XZnwi1rCAHASrhsip6kN2l6WC7RWIlkwOtKccjG~jTwL5lcCllSPm8EffnNLCyOTm3BTMVQwmaXOchWYY8arqPV0K9Liq1zSvcL4uj7dK~bCJJBPWPZP8hoCbWiMjda8WCJSwPS~TbMIYK1n6zSRjhHPwVIrKC6yNLfiEujrOKj9XSnEsQ1dDd8JYOE0kXo04rhvykJ40GaI7eyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House File 2297, sponsored by Representative Myers, would add an agrivoltaics definition to state law, encourage dual land use for solar (grazing, pollinator habitat, crop production beneath panels) and create a voluntary specialty license plate whose proceeds would fund the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) habitat‑friendly solar program.

Supporters told the committee the voluntary license plate would provide an ongoing funding stream for a program established in 2016 that has helped restore native prairie under solar arrays and boost biodiversity. Colleen Hollinger of Natural Resource Services said the BWSR program was designated to oversee habitat‑friendly solar but was not given ongoing funding at its creation; the specialty plate is intended to provide dedicated funds so the program can scale as solar deployment grows.

The Minnesota Solar Energy Industry Association and the National Audubon Society’s Upper Mississippi River region both testified in favor, saying agrivoltaics can create economic opportunities for farmers, improve pollinator habitat, and make solar land use more compatible with agriculture and wildlife. Audubon emphasized that the habitat program is a cost‑effective way to increase biodiversity on solar sites.

The bill passed a committee procedural motion: an A1 amendment was adopted and Representative Myers’ motion to re‑refer the bill to the Committee on Agriculture carried by voice vote.

","House File 2297 would adopt a statutory definition for agrivoltaics, encourage multi‑use solar projects (grazing, pollinator habitat), and create a voluntary specialty license plate to fund Board of Water and Soil Resources oversight of habitat‑friendly solar.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6617027,"Macalester seeks state grant for aquifer‑based geothermal student housing and campus decarbonization",840,3389300,4229885,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65&start=3389&end=4229","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65/thumbnail_3389300.jpg","/articles/6617027/Minnesota/Macalester-seeks-state-grant-for-aquiferbased-geothermal-student-housing-and-campus-decarbonization","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617027-117c930876cf78b3bbcd293f7f832ee8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771071398&Signature=gGjAeTEnxycsUM3ERC-3oIjcD2UK203iGi3ZVUCId4LaEJNMUOJMIjPU~nhWvWIWgRVco0Q1dy77PMOUK8nrIb1hBeeIz1YIMuAXdfcJP5sEaKYYU3Iuw839ntTgARgYOoWs27QS2D7FUOTNh-UTAdwbsZobbAyE4b9XcjsdQbQNpWb3bkbt0jy-HdmJ9OpEHBxYW0NaSgY7XAaSbuXqxLqgy7nT1jiHHbJyc7znwdNOBWf2eW01BWvpPyh09ovIpjgB4p5KsWemqD7~f9IFIvVv3bLX0gNpDFydh8JLzdSpavkvSvAmx9lb4RiARWDEu-9fqxDLBoz2csdOlDvT2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Herr presented House File 2912, a request that the committee lay over a bill seeking state support for an aquifer‑based geothermal heating and cooling system to serve a new Macalester College residence and future campus expansion.

The proposal requests state funds to help build an innovative deep‑aquifer geothermal system paired with solar and high‑performance building design. Macalester representatives said the project would be the first urban college campus geothermal system in Minnesota of its kind and would serve as a living laboratory for combined energy solutions.

Macalester’s AVP of Facilities, Nathan Leaf, told the committee the system uses a deep aquifer so it can provide 100% geothermal heating and cooling for the new building with a relatively small site footprint. Energy modeling cited by the college estimated the new building would be about 40% more efficient than current code and could save roughly 1.2 million kilowatt‑hours per year, equivalent to about $150,000–$190,000 in annual energy savings under current assumptions; Macalester estimated a payback on the combined measures of roughly 20 years.

College representatives said over $2 million in private fundraising has been committed, and the project team is also pursuing congressional directed spending and grants. They told the committee drilling for geothermal wells must occur before vertical construction on the building to accommodate the limited site footprint.

Formal action: Representative Herr moved to lay over House File 2912; the motion carried and the bill was laid over for further consideration. Witnesses said the college intends to begin drilling in the coming construction season and will seek additional financing (private fundraising, MNCIFA, and congressional directed spending) if state support is not secured.

","Macalester College told the committee it seeks roughly $2.5 million in state funds to support an aquifer‑based geothermal system that would heat and cool a new student residence, cut campus emissions and free rental units in a dense neighborhood.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6617031,"Committee considers bill to scale virtual power plants for utilities to meet rising demand",1498,4218380,5716695,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65&start=4218&end=5716","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2844032-5f5764975dc66946a866da5e31fc9a65/thumbnail_4218380.jpg","/articles/6617031/Minnesota/Committee-considers-bill-to-scale-virtual-power-plants-for-utilities-to-meet-rising-demand","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617031-addf254b446b9910abce34e52d193631/orig.mp4?Expires=1771071398&Signature=MgLXRXJuM3VzIxPCZl~6R6zivLpU7EC5FwkPbjpTbTVs2uu0Cwqi1nY14U-S~N0H3NRM1K8qRXAKEMCrVuWCJ0x16UUxiaPDeIQCfEyTWQGyNY50TEaG9yrWZnhkvTiuX56bzn4UcYuGBpWDEfGZMpoDdCRSVx1rgJXDzb1zm2joLbOU~4Mc6yWKOEYntpl61GwFxzHRNvY1iL05mCZtcdkfUAhdUnuykaOw1-v7Iug-NpsvWwTIH2pZ-mZVwg4Uxho62MlCga4gSWZz~YyD0R3MlH9ho~hnUvU8CFAaywobnEQ9Z5AGnXnKcxj~SWdyybvkArlDUNkVkp53i3A3aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Kraft introduced a bill directing investor‑owned utilities to target a portion of their peak capacity to be satisfied by virtual power plants (VPPs), a distributed aggregation of rooftop solar, batteries, smart appliances and demand response that can be dispatched like a conventional resource.

The bill sets a target (the draft language described a 10% peak resource target) and directs the Public Utilities Commission to establish tariffs and implementation rules, while offering an off‑ramp if targets prove infeasible. Kraft described VPPs as a way to avoid costly transmission upgrades and provide rapid, local resources to meet rising electricity demand.

Department of Commerce staff supported the concept. Sydney Lee told the committee VPPs are “an important tool” that can increase available resources quickly by using distributed generation, storage and demand response and can reduce pressure for large transmission projects. The department noted a precedent: the PUC recently approved a utility‑owned distributed capacity procurement in an integrated resource plan.

Solar and clean‑energy advocates urged the committee to ensure third‑party aggregators can participate fairly. Patty O’Keefe of Vote Solar used a beehive analogy to explain VPPs and said the bill should include guardrails to avoid utilities both administering programs and favoring their own resources. Solar industry representatives and Solar United Neighbors voiced similar support, noting that VPPs can be lower‑cost alternatives to conventional generation.

Investor‑owned and smaller utilities raised implementation concerns. Representatives of Excel Energy and Otter Tail Power told the committee they are developing proposals or pilots through the integrated resource planning process and asked for time and careful design to avoid cost shifts to customers. Excel‑area staff said they are preparing distributed capacity proposals for the PUC and asked that the committee not foreclose the PUC process.

Customer advocates and rooftop‑solar trade groups supported enabling legislation but sought protections to ensure competitive third‑party participation and to avoid utilities capturing market value without appropriate cost‑effectiveness tests.

Formal action: the bill received an informational hearing and no committee vote was taken. Representative Kraft and stakeholders agreed to continued development of implementation details in consultation with utilities and regulators.

","Representative Kraft presented legislation to require investor‑owned utilities to procure a portion of peak capacity via virtual power plants (VPPs), prompting support from the Department of Commerce and solar advocates and questions from utilities about costs and implementation details.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee lays over bill to require data centers to help fund grid upgrades, set community protections

Bipartisan agrivoltaics bill would create specialty license plate to fund habitat‑friendly solar and define agrivoltaics

Macalester seeks state grant for aquifer‑based geothermal student housing and campus decarbonization

Committee considers bill to scale virtual power plants for utilities to meet rising demand