Minnesota Sets Framework To Accelerate Renewable Energy Transition

Sep 30, 2022

By MOLLY MALONE

Congestion and access to the electric grid are keeping rural Minnesota from reaching its full potential in producing clean energy.

It’s a dilemma that has gained the attention of Gov. Tim Walz and a Climate Change Subcabinet as they plan for how Minnesota will address and prepare for climate change.

Renewable Energy

The recently-released Minnesota Climate Action Framework identified improving electrical grid reliability and access to renewable energy as priority actions that will move the state toward its goal of ensuring all Minnesotans have reliable, clean, and lower-cost energy.

Overall, the plan outlines priorities and next steps to help Minnesota achieve a vision for a carbon neutral, resilient, and equitable future. In addressing clean energy and efficient buildings, the plan sets priority actions, including:

Establishing a standard to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity and 55% renewable electricity by 2040.
Ensuring the power grid is reliable and affordable and has adequate capacity, and that all Minnesotans have equitable access to renewable energy and energy efficiency opportunities.
Reducing the energy burden so at least 80% of Minnesotans spend less than 5% of their household income on energy costs by 2030.
Creating equity by investing in energy efficiency programs, and ensuring communities of color, tribal nations, and lower-income communities have access to them.
Helping lower-income households access local and affordable renewable energy, with options such as community and rooftop solar.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.