Legislative Energy Commission
Active dates:2008 -
Function: The commission evaluates the energy policies of the state, assessing the impact on the future of the environment and the economy. The commission also monitors the state's progress in achieving goals to develop renewable sources of electric energy; evaluates progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; reviews and recommends proposed energy legislation and takes public testimony on energy issues.
History:
2008 Laws abolish the Legislative Electric Energy Task Force and establish the Legislative Energy Commission.
The LEC traces its history back to 1994 as part of the Prairie Island nuclear legislation and was originally called the Legislative Electric Energy Task Force. For much of its history it was largely concerned with nuclear energy generation and storage issues. In 2007, Rep. Bill Hilty, DFL-Finlayson, successfully sought to rename and expand the commission to energy issues related to agriculture and transportation. Hortman credited Hilty's approach of addressing energy across all sectors of the economy and said that will be a focus for this summer's [2013] meetings.
(Paragraph above from: "Legislative Panel Mulls Ways to Eliminate Fossil Fuels", Politics in Minnesota, June 20, 2013)
Membership:
The commission consists of: ten members of the house of representatives including the chairs of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Energy Finance and Policy Division and eight members to be appointed by the speaker of the house, four of whom must be from the minority caucus appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, four of whom must be from the minority caucus, and including the chair of the committee with primary jurisdiction over energy policy; the chair or another member of each of the committees with primary jurisdiction over environmental policy, agricultural policy, and transportation policy; and a legislator who is a member of the NextGen Energy Board; and ten members of the senate to be appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees, four of whom must be from the minority caucus, and including the chair of the committee with primary jurisdiction over energy policy; the chair or another member of each of the committees with primary jurisdiction over environmental policy, agricultural policy, and transportation policy; and a legislator who is a member of the NextGen Energy Board.
Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
History of the Legislative Energy Commission, 1994-2010, 2011.
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 2008-2013.
Record last updated:
07/26/2016
All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These
materials are incorporated into the “documents/articles” section of the record. Please contact a librarian with any questions. The Minnesota Agencies database is a work in progress.