The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) served as an adjudicating body to hear certain concerns brought by customers of municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives. When customers invested in residential solar or wind generation, some municipal electric utilities or rural electric cooperatives were charging fees for those customers to connect to the grid. If the customers thought the monthly fees were too high, they could bring their case to the PUC to review the appropriateness of those fees. This bill proposed to remove the PUC’s authority to review those fees imposed by municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives. The PUC’s authority to regulate other utilities was not changed by this bill.
With 39 “Yes” votes and 26 “No” votes the bill passed off the Senate floor and was presented to the Governor. On March 20, 2017 Governor Dayton vetoed the bill.
What Would Happen?
A “Yes” vote supports the bill and removing the authority of the PUC to review charges on customers of municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives.
A “No” vote opposes the bill and reaffirms the authority of the PUC to review charges on customers of municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives.
How The Senate Voted
A “Yes” vote supports the bill and removing the authority of the PUC to review charges on customers of municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives.
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