Minnesota Agencies

The Energy Transition Advisory Committee is established to develop a statewide energy transition plan and to advise the governor, the commissioner, and the legislature on transition issues, established transition programs, economic initiatives, and transition policy. 

By July 1, 2022, the Energy Transition Advisory Committee must submit a statewide energy transition plan to the governor and the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over economic development and energy. 

The energy transition plan must, at a minimum, for each impacted facility:

• identify the timing and location of impacted facility retirements and projected job losses in communities;
• analyze the estimated fiscal impact of impacted facility retirements on local governments;
• describe the statutes and administrative processes that govern how retired utility property impacts a local government tax base;
• review existing state programs that might support impacted communities and impacted workers, and project the effectiveness of each program's response to the effects of impacted facility retirements; and
• recommend how to effectively respond to the economic effects of impacted facility retirements.

The appointing authorities must appoint the members of the advisory committee by August 1, 2021. The commissioner of employment and economic development must convene the first meeting by September 1, 2021. The advisory committee must meet monthly until the energy transition plan is submitted to the governor and the legislature. The chair may call additional meetings as necessary. This advisory committee expires the day after the Minnesota energy transition plan required under section 116J.5493 is submitted to the legislature and the governor.

The advisory committee consists of 18 voting members and eight ex officio nonvoting members. The voting members of the advisory committee are appointed by the commissioner of employment and economic development, except as specified below:

• two members of the senate, one appointed by the majority leader of the senate and one appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
• two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;
• one representative of the Prairie Island Indian community;
• four representatives of impacted communities, of which two must represent counties and two must represent municipalities, and, to the extent possible, of the impacted facilities in those communities, at least one must be a coal plant, at least one must be a nuclear plant, and at least one must be a natural gas plant;
• three representatives of impacted workers at impacted facilities;
• one representative of impacted workers employed by companies that, under contract, regularly perform construction, maintenance, or repair work at an impacted facility;
• one representative with professional economic development or workforce retraining experience;
• two representatives of utilities that operate an impacted facility;
• one representative from a nonprofit organization with expertise and experience delivering energy efficiency and conservation programs; and
• one representative from the Coalition of Utility Cities.

The ex officio nonvoting members of the advisory committee consist of:

• the governor or the governor's designee;
• the commissioner of employment and economic development or the commissioner's designee;
• the commissioner of commerce or the commissioner's designee;
• the commissioner of labor and industry or the commissioner's designee;
• the commissioner of revenue or the commissioner's designee;
• the executive secretary of the Public Utilities Commission or the secretary's designee;
• the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency or the commissioner's designee; and
• the chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities or the chancellor's designee.