MINNESOTA LOSES OUT ON YET ANOTHER JOB-CREATION OPPORTUNITY

ST. PAUL, MN—Today, Minnesota Power announced their intention to build a 550 megawatt natural gas plant in Superior, Wisconsin that will result in much of the Iron Range receiving their power from across the border, and yet another major private investment project that has slipped away due in part to Minnesota's regulatory process. Minnesota Power will partner with Wisconsin-based Dairyland Power, which also serves customers in Minnesota. Minnesota was considered for the project, but Wisconsin ultimately prevailed as the chosen location. Minnesota Power specifically cited access to natural gas pipelines as part of their decision to expand in Wisconsin. House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, issued the following statement regarding today's announcement:

"Republicans want Minnesota Power made in Minnesota—not forced to relocate to Wisconsin," said House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown. "It's unfortunate that once again, Democrats' resistance to improving our regulatory process has resulted in Minnesota families losing out on hundreds of good-paying jobs and millions in private investment. One of our top priorities next session should be putting Minnesota jobs first and overhauling our regulatory process so we can protect our environment without losing major opportunities for economic growth."

Over the past several years, major projects including the Sandpiper Pipeline, Sherco's Natural Gas Power Plant, Twin Metals, Polymet, and others have faced arbitrary delays and other obstacles as they attempted to go through the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approval process. It took special legislation in 2017 that was passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor to allow the Sherco Power Plant to move ahead.