(light music) - Welcome to "Almanac North."

I'm Brett Scott in from Maarja Hewitt while she's away on vacation.

Tonight, Dennis Anderson is on the desk to report on a proposed gas power plant in the Superior, the status of the project and the opinions of the city and its residents.

Later we are joined in studio by Julie Pierce of Minnesota Power to discuss how the service provider plans to integrate new technology and policy in an ever-changing world of energy.

Then we are joined via Zoom by Consumer Energy Alliance President, David Holt, and we discuss the state of energy resources, infrastructure, and providers.

Later, Kyle Leier of Great River Energy visits the studio, and we have a conversation about how their company provides their distributors with energy, and what factors into making the right choices for both price point and sustainability.

That's what's in store on tonight's "Almanac North."

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the fire danger levels in the majority of Minnesota remain high.

The unusually dry and temperate winter has contributed to the risk of fire in the state.

February, you saw temperatures average nearly 12 degrees warmer than average, and over 15 fewer inches of snowfall.

According to the state fire marshal, there are no burn restrictions in our region, but we are warned to be careful of any open flames when camping or doing other outdoor activities.

Fire burns and other burns should be closely monitored at all times.

The chance of showers this weekend, it will bring much needed moisture to our region.

Well, the Minnesota House has given the go-ahead to a basic income pilot program, a bill approved as amended on a split-voice vote Tuesday by the House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee would attempt to settle that argument.

The bill's next stop is the House Human Services Finance Committee sponsored by Representative Athena Hollins, DFL of St. Paul.

The bill would implement a basic income program to provide direct cash payments of at least $500 per month for 18 to 24 months to eligible recipients around the state.

It would be paid for with a one-time $100 million appropriation from the general fund in fiscal year '25.

Supporters believe providing a basic monthly income to those who need it removes barriers to full-time employment, provides families a financial safety net, and improves outcomes for children.

Opponents say giving people monthly payments with no strings attached creates opportunities for fraud and is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars.

Meanwhile, Hollins said the bill would build upon similar programs in the state and around the country.

Wisconsin is facing a shortage of registered nurses.

One key concern is a lack of quality educational opportunities for would-be nurses.

Barbara Nichols, executive director with the Wisconsin Center for Nursing, has encouraged policymakers to keep building on efforts to help more students attend nonprofit programs to fill staffing voids.

She says the trouble is those schools don't have enough instructors.

She hopes to see results from a Wisconsin initiative soon, which started three years ago, that offers loan forgiveness for nurses who take on teaching roles.

According to Nichols, it's better to wait for an opening at a longstanding accredited program.

She argues they're better suited to provide a quality nursing education.

According to her organization, Wisconsin is graduating around 3,000 nurses each year, around 2,000 short of what is needed.

And now we are going to head over to Denny's desk for a look into how the city of Superior is progressing with the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center.

Denny?

- Thank you, Brett.

Well, the Nemadji Trail Energy Center, also known as NTEC, has been a hot topic in the Badger State, as city councilors and community members debate on whether or not that facility should be granted the ability to build.

Now, back in 2019, the natural gas plant was approved by the city council unanimously.

However, today that support has shifted as Mayor Paine and several city counselors now oppose the gas plant, focusing on their concern regarding the impact on the environment.

- The proposal to develop a methane power plant on the banks of the Nemadji River, to destroy some unique and largely pristine wetlands, some of the last wetlands in that part of the Nemadji corridor, to threaten a very sensitive bluff that goes directly into the river, to allow more polluted storm water into a river that will flow immediately into Lake Superior, to say nothing of the air emissions and local health effects, this is a very real threat to water.

Well.

What kind of city do we want to live in?

Do we want to actually just keep living in a city surrounded by industry, especially when it's really not doing anything for our economy?

It's often large, heavy industry is as harmful to our economy as it is helpful.

And so do we want to sacrifice our most pristine areas, part of the reason most folks live here, for heavy industry that won't really benefit any of us.

- Union supporters gathered in the council chambers on February 6th to voice their support for construction and potential jobs NTEC would offer the community.

- Hello, everyone.

My name is Tanner Carlson.

and I'm a first-year electrician apprentice in the IBEW 242.

I reside in Superior, and Ruth Ludwig is the counselor for my district.

In fact, she's even my next door neighbor.

As an apprentice, NTEC could provide me with a stable income, countless opportunities to learn, and the privilege of being able to work right by my home.

As a citizen of Superior, I think it would be not only beneficial to me but to my community overall.

A vote against NTEC does not represent my views or my best interests, and I respectfully request for Councillor Ludwig to consider supporting NTEC.

Thank you.

- And I struggle with the fact that we're considering not approving this.

Look at the development that could be coming in the future.

If this doesn't get approved, and if it's for something that I don't know about, shame on me.

But look at the development that could be coming to this city.

- Coming up next week on Wednesday, the city's planning commission is scheduled to hear applications on required local approvals for the NTEC project.

- Denny, thank you.

Our first guest on the show is here to talk about with me the energy production use and the future of power in our region.

Joining me now is Julie Pierce, VP of Strategy and Planning for Minnesota Power.

Welcome to the show, Julie.

- Thanks.

- Thank you for being here.

So with our power grid relying on a variety of sources, how do you address the environmental impacts of energy generation and distribution in the region?

- You know, great question.

I think the exciting part of being part of this Northland in Northeast Minnesota is that we have some of the cleanest energy in the entire nation.

This nation is transforming, and Minnesota Power in the northeast part of Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin is transforming faster than anyone.

Our power that is being provided to our customers right now is between 50 and 60% renewable on an annual basis.

That's higher than anyone.

We are leading the energy transformation.

We are making infrastructure investments, and we are helping our customers find solutions like conservation and other ways to build their own energy journey.

So it's just a really exciting time to be in the region.

And we are decarbonizing, we are reducing our emissions on an annual basis.

And it's really an exciting time in the energy sector.

- It sounds like it.

How clean are these renewables compared to fossil fuels?

- So energy has to work together as a system, right?

And so when you bring on renewable energy, you know, that is energy that's fueled by hydroelectric, a long history that we have here in the region.

Over 100 years actually we've been using hydroelectric energy.

And you add wind energy that's, you know, used with the wind forces that are blowing through our regions and from North Dakota.

And then we use the sun.

And we also use biomass and things that are harvested in a responsible way from the forests in our area.

Those energy sources, they bring new, exciting ways to produce energy and serve the growing needs that we have.

And they're clean energy sources, but they also have, you know, an impact that sometimes they're not available.

And so when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing, we need other sources.

And so it's really a balance between the clean energy sources like wind, solar, biomass, and hydro to be paired with resources that can be there as a backstop to feed that.

So we've transitioned our fleet, you know, to 50% renewable energy.

We're on our way to 70% renewable energy.

And we're doing that in a thoughtful, responsible, reliable and affordable way for our customers.

And that's what they've, one step at a time, that's what they've came really to trust us as an energy partner and a solutions partner here in this region.

- So are there other environmental impacts that maybe wind, solar, or hydroelectric sources need to be monitored for?

- Well, I think, you know, all energy sources, you know, whatever new type of technology that is coming to the forefront needs to be evaluated, right?

They have what we call a life cycle.

So from construction to when they're no longer able to be used anymore, or maybe when they're refreshed and replaced.

We have to take all of that into consideration when we're planning for new energy sources.

Solar and wind, you know, they are big infrastructure.

You have solar panels that have to be dealt with after the solar panel is done producing.

And you have wind turbines that need to be taken care of after they're done with their useful life.

So I think it's a way to think about it is we have to look at the entire life cycle of all these types of technologies we're bringing in.

- Definitely.

And what usage trends have you seen the energy market developing, and how do you plan to cope with rising energy demands as the region continues to grow?

- Well, we are excited, right?

Not only have we planned ahead as you trust us to do as your energy partner here in the region, we're looking forward, you know, 15, 20 years into the future, and how we're gonna continue to be ready for the energy demands.

We work closely with our cities and our communities talking about what's coming, and then working together to plan those energy solutions out.

We do see growth, we see some exciting things on the horizon, as long as we can all work together and ensure that we get there together.

- I'm interested to learn if you could discuss any partnerships or maybe collaborations Minnesota Power has undertaken to promote some of those renewable energy and energy efficiency policies.

- Oh, absolutely.

So we are an energy conservation leader in the state of Minnesota.

And I'm so proud of everyone in this region because they take energy conservation so seriously, and Minnesota Power provides programs, some state-leading programs for them to participate in.

So we are very much looking for new policy that supports energy conservation, supports new ways to educate and help builders who are building new buildings.

We actually have a design conference that we do every year to help builders get more educated on the newest and latest trends.

Something we've been doing for, oh boy, a couple of decades, I think.

So just think of us as an energy partner here, on energy conservation here in St. Paul and, you know, in the broader Upper Midwest.

- My final question for you, Julie, how can Minnesota Power customers, how could they get more involved, bring this to their house maybe?

- Well, I think there's a lot of great resources online.

Minnesotapower.com has a extensive website.

We have applications you can get on your phone to watch your energy use.

And, you know, just think about, you know, how your daily cycle works and how you can be using energy differently.

And then watch, you know, watch your energy bill and work with us, and we can help you find solutions.

- Julie, thank you for being with us.

We appreciate it.

- Yep.

Thank you.

(light music) - Now joining us via Zoom is the president of the Consumer Energy Alliance, David Holt.

David, can you provide a brief overview of what the Consumer Energy Alliance is?

- Yeah, Consumer Energy Alliance is almost a 19-year-old trade association that's working with consumers and families and small businesses all over the country to really try to move forward toward sensible energy policy that ensures affordable energy, reliable energy, and environmentally responsible energy.

So we're trying to bring all those three things together to keep prices low for families, for small businesses, ensure that we have energy all the time, no brownout, no blackouts, and that we're continuing our environmental progress.

- In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges the energy sector is currently facing?

- You know, there's a lot, and it kind of, from our perspective, kind of starts with local, state, and national public policy.

You know, we believe there is a pathway toward continued environmental progress.

That doesn't mean that we're gonna pay more for energy and doesn't mean that we're likely to have more brownouts and more blackouts.

And that means we've gotta continue to make sure that we have all choices available to us: wind, solar, oil, natural gas, pipeline infrastructure, transmission infrastructure, all these things, more nuclear, all these things have to be part of the energy mix.

And we're showing as a nation that we can meet our environmental goals, carbon emissions in the United States since the year 2000 are down 19%, while for the rest of the world they're up 18%.

So we're showing good environmental progress.

But one of the things that we're concerned about is these restricted policies that are saying, hey, maybe no new natural gas hookups, or policies that are slowing down transmission for wind or solar, are policies that are slowing down pipelines that we need in the Northeast states for natural gas, for example.

We need everything.

We need to make sure as we build out more wind and solar, that we have backup, what's called baseload power, which would be permanent power.

For wind, the wind and the sun aren't necessarily cooperating.

So that permanent power has gotta be natural gas or nuclear are the most viable option.

So are we building out enough of that?

So what we're seeing in the Mid-Atlantic states, and even the regulatory body that governs the grid in the Mid-Atlantic states is saying, hey, we're worried about our ability to meet the basic needs of the citizens of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and a whole bunch of other states because we're not necessarily adding enough pipeline.

We're not adding enough transmission.

We're seeing some opposition to wind and solar.

We gotta get that headed in the right way.

And state policies are dictating that maybe natural gas shouldn't be part of the energy mix.

And state policies are restricting nuclear.

We disagree with the restrictions.

We agree with the additions.

And we really do need it all.

And at the same time there were restrictions coming on line, we're seeing more electrification, which means more need for more wind, more solar.

We're seeing more electric vehicles added to the mix.

So all that puts more strain on the grid in the Midwest and really demands that we have more pipelines and more natural gas.

And we're happy to see that things like Line 5 in Michigan is delivering natural gas to other states and in the region.

line 3 is continuing to be considered for natural gas to the region.

We're encouraged by some of the development, but we need more of it and we need to make sure we have that baseload or permanent power as part of it.

- David, what advice do you have for businesses and maybe industries looking to transition toward a more sustainable energy practice?

- You know, keep doing it.

Sustainable energy practices is, you know, the market has spoken: voters, consumers, families want better environmental performance, more sustainable performance from all businesses.

So that trajectory is continuing, technology and innovation is continuing to advance that.

And that's a really good thing.

We're now seeing more and more carbon capture and sequestration being added to the mix, including in the Midwestern states.

So the more we can do that for traditional industry, like if you're a rubber manufacturer or a iron and steel manufacturer or a fertilizer company or things like that that emit a lot of CO2, we can now capture that and effectively store it in the ground, helping us reduce CO2 even more.

- How does the unique geography and climate of Northern Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin, how does it impact the energy infrastructure and choices for sustainable energy solutions right here in our region?

- You know, it's particularly the Upper Midwest, you know?

And when you get in the Plains area a little bit, I mean, you're talking about cold weather states.

You're talking about some extreme weather.

So when you're managing the grid and when you're looking at making sure you have reliable electricity, you're really managing to those extreme weather days.

Whether it's gonna be a really hot day in the summer in like Texas or Florida, or a really cold day up in, you know, in the Upper Peninsula or in Minnesota, you wanna make sure that those days that are getting into, you know, negative numbers, that we're able to manage the grid to deliver electricity to those homes.

Because you can have a life-threatening event if you lose power in one of these extreme cold weather days.

So when you're hearing the grid operator in the Midwest saying, guys, we're concerned about our ability to meet energy demand on extreme weather days now, and we are increasingly concerned as time goes on, it's up to us as voters to kinda listen to that, carry that message back to our political leadership, those folks that are running for office, make sure they're hearing it.

And it doesn't matter where you are in the political spectrum: Democrat, Independent or a Republican.

Make sure that the folks you're voting for understand that balanced energy policy that doesn't restrict something, doesn't limit our choices, continues to ensure affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible energy is the key.

Because too many folks are getting confused about saying, oh, we don't need solar or wind.

Yes, we do.

Or we don't need oil and natural gas.

We absolutely do.

And innovation is showing we can use all those things.

And that's really the sensible path forward, because energy should be a nonpartisan issue, and we shouldn't have to be picking winners and losers.

- David Holt, President of the Consumer Energy Alliance, thank you for joining us.

- I appreciate it, good to meet you, and we'll talk again, man.

(light music) - Our final guest for the evening is from Great River Energy, manager of Resource Strategy, Kyle Leier.

Kyle, welcome to "Almanac North."

- Thank you, Brett.

Thank you for having me.

Happy to be here.

- Yes, thank you for being here.

So you are a cooperative.

How is Great River Energy working to provide that clean energy to members in your service area?

- That's a great question.

And just to touch on that cooperative business model, you know, there's a long and storied career or history of cooperatives in Minnesota, and Great River Energy is really here to serve our members.

And so we have 27 member cooperatives and they are democratically elected by their in-use consumers.

And so we're different from a typical IOU in the fact that we aren't responsible, and we don't have a responsibility to shareholders, but we spend our time trying to serve our members.

And so the question about how are we transitioning, for those of you who aren't familiar with Great River Energy, I, you know, recommend you visit our website.

We have our current integrated resource plan that's posted on our website, and this was just accepted by the Public Utilities Commission last week actually.

And so we are rapidly decarbonizing.

We're planning to be 95% reduced carbon output from our 2005 base levels by 2035.

And as you know, with the Minnesota new clean, carbon-free standard, we are on track to meet that by 2040.

- Wonderful, well, with our power grid relying on a variety of sources, what are the largest disruptors of energy generation and distribution?

- The largest disruptors.

So I think as we plan for the future, Great River Energy is fastly adopting wind.

We're planning to put about 1200 megawatts of wind on the grid in the next 10 years.

But, you know, there's a lot of concerns about future load growth, and I would say Great River Energy along with a lot of other cooperatives have been approached by data centers, you know, large companies, the Googles, the Amazons, the Metas of the world, and they're putting these, you know, large loads in different service areas across the country.

And, you know, just for an example, Great River Energy's peak demand, you know, there's 8,760 hours in a year, and we have to have availability to meet every one of those hours.

And our peak demand is approximately, you know, 2,000 to 2300 megawatts.

But we've been approached by, you know, these companies that want to build 2000, 3000, 4,000 megawatts of energy in the next two to three or four years.

And so I see this as probably one of the biggest challenges, is trying to, you know, maintain our reliable, our bottom line, which is our triple commitment to our members of affordable rates, you know, reliable service, and sustainability with the environment.

But also planning for future growth such as EVs and large mega loads like data centers.

- Right.

A very competitive industry, that's for sure.

Are there any new breakthrough technologies or approaches in energy generation that you are exploring or implementing with your cooperative?

- Yeah, that's a great question.

You know, Great River Energy has had quite a bit of foresight.

I mean, we've been planning for a carbon-constrained future for quite some time.

Our members have really had that as part of the forefront of our strategy.

In 2011, we started to depreciate our biggest coal assets at a quicker rate.

So that would reduce some of the potential liability if the carbon-constrained future came into focus.

And what we've seen now is, you know, we ended up shutting down one of our coal plants in 2017 and we divested of our last coal plant in 2021.

And so we are ready to meet the carbon-constrained future.

And, you know, really that's done with a mix of resources.

We have our energy resources, which are going to be primarily renewable, and all of our new additions will be renewable in storage.

But we also rely heavily on our natural gas combustion peaking fleet.

And these resources are there during times when, at GRE we like to call it the dark calm when there's no sun, overnight, or, you know, when a polar vortex hits and it's 30 degrees below zero.

You know, we want our members to feel safe that they have the resources available to meet those needs at every hour of the day.

- Definitely.

How do you balance the need for affordable energy with the social and regulatory pressure for green energy?

- You know, we are very committed to our triple bottom line, which again is affordable rates for reliable service and sustainability with the environment.

And the question is how do we balance the two?

- Yes.

- You know, right now renewable energy is very competitive price-wise, but it's not a great capacity resource.

And so, you know, MISO, which is the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, has recently changed some of their capacity constructs requiring different types of capacity at different types of the year, at different timings and seasons of the year.

And so we remain competitive really by the steps we've taken over the last two decades.

We have a very strong fleet of flexible combustion turbines, which, are you familiar with a combustion turbine?

- [Brett] I am not.

- Well it's basically a large jet engine connected to a generator, and they're extremely fast, extremely reliable.

But we only run them about 2 to 3% of the time.

And so what we can't do is make, you know, the great be the enemy of the perfect or the perfect be the enemy of the great.

And so we are, you know, we're very focused on keeping our rates sustainable and our costs low.

And Great River Energy right now is about 20% lower, over 20% lower than the weighted regional average for our rates.

And even more importantly, our rates are projected to remain stable throughout the next 15-year horizon.

- My final question for you, Kyle, what are you most excited for for Great River Energy in the future?

- That's a great question.

I'm excited about a lot of things, but really what excites me is being able to listen to what our members need and being able to respond to those needs.

And as you mentioned, Great River Energy is here because of our members.

And so we take input from our members every single day and we try to enact our vision and provide them with the resources, the information they need to make those best decisions.

And so as we transition to this new clean energy future, there's a lot of challenges, a lot of opportunities, but we're very excited to where we're headed as a company.

- Always moving forward.

Kyle Leier, thank you for being with us.

- Thank you.

- And before we go, here's a look at what you might be up to this weekend.

St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday, and if you are in the spirit of the season, there's a litany of events available throughout the weekend.

Saturday from nine o'clock until noon in Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Brewing Company is hosting Shamrock'n Brunch with United Way, an Irish inspired brunch buffet, live music, silent auction, raffles and more.

All proceeds benefit the United Way, the United Way of 1000 Lakes.

Duluth-based Willowgreen returns to the Sacred Heart Music Center alter stage for an afternoon St. Patrick's Day celebration at 3:00 PM on Sunday.

Willowgreen performs traditional, contemporary, and original music from around the Celtic music world.

And Sunday from 6:00 until 9:00, Loaves and Fishes annual Ceili Dance is happening at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Get out there and celebrate a bit this weekend.

There's plenty to do out there.

I'm Brett Scott.

Thank you for joining us on "Almanac North."

Maarja Hewitt returns next week.

I'll see you later.

Have a great evening.

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