Engaging With The Public Utilities Commission

Minnesota needs to act now to address climate change and to ensure affordability and equity in our energy future. Recent high prices, state legislative action, and extreme weather events show that we urgently need to change our energy trajectory. The stakes are enormous for our climate, health and jobs. If we do not act, Minnesota will miss our climate goals, and risk further burdening people least able to afford high utility costs. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has explicit authority to regulate natural gas, and they have the power to make tremendous changes in our energy future. Engaging with the PUC is one of the most effective ways to influence Minnesota’s energy policy now and in the future.

As Minnesota begins to reimagine the role of natural gas in our homes and buildings, there are critical opportunities to influence public opinion and policy by engaging in upcoming proceedings at the PUC. The PUC has already taken action in response to rising and volatile gas prices, and they are currently taking public feedback on the future of gas in Minnesota. We need Minnesotans from all socioeconomic, racial, and cultural backgrounds to engage in this conversation to ensure Minnesota establishes meaningful policy changes that will accelerate a just and equitable transition away from gas and toward cleaner and safer energy solutions.

About the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission regulates investor-owned electric and gas utilities in Minnesota. It consists of five commissioners appointed by the governor to six-year staggered terms. The PUC’s mission is to ensure that Minnesota’s utilities provide “safe, adequate, and efficient utility services at fair, reasonable rates” and make sure that its orders are consistent with state energy policies. The PUC aims to balance private and public concerns and to make decisions consistent with the public interest.

Katie Sieben, Chair

Joseph K. Sullivan, Vice-Chair

Audrey Partridge

Hwikwon Ham

John Tuma

Public Utilities Commission Docket/Discussions of the Role of Gas in the Utility Space

In 2021, Minnesota passed a law that requires the PUC to take a big-picture look at how we use gas in our homes and buildings and whether regulatory policy changes are needed in order to help the state meet its climate goals. The PUC’s main way for getting public feedback is through a public process referred to as a “docket.” A docket is the public information on official cases and rulemaking proceedings underway at a state agency or Commission.

The PUC is tasked with evaluating changes to gas utility regulatory and policy structures needed to meet or exceed Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals in the Future of Gas docket, which was initiated in 2021. Soon the PUC will open the first comment period on regulatory or policy changes that could put Minnesota on a path towards those emission reduction goals.

How to Engage on the Gas Issues at the Public Utilities Commission

You can engage by joining the Clean Heat Minnesota coalition, which will guide you step-by-step through how to get involved in policy debates at the Public Utilities Commission and beyond. Through the coalition, we will send timely updates and provide all the resources you need to participate – especially for those who have never engaged before in decision-making processes.

Sign up here to receive updates.