Minnesota is at a crossroads on energy. We can continue to invest in clean energy and efficiency or we can choose to continue burning coal and polluting our air and water while sending billions of dollars out of state. Smart policies have made Minnesota a clean energy leader, but in northeastern Minnesota we still get almost 95 percent of our electricity from burning coal.

Minnesota Power has been required by the state Public Utilities Commission to study near-term plans for transitioning from its oldest coal plants and replacing that power with cheaper, cleaner energy such as energy efficiency, wind, and solar power.

This forum will provide information about Minnesota Power’s report on the future of their oldest coal plants, and panelists will discuss plans for diversifying our electricity supply to clean, efficient sources of energy that will create and sustain good paying jobs in northeastern Minnesota.

Please join us for a discussion about moving northeastern Minnesota to a clean energy future. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.

Speakers will include Al Rudeck, Vice President of Strategy and Planning, Minnesota Power, J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director, Fresh Energy, Jill Doberstein, Program Manager, American Lung Association of Minnesota, and Michael LeBeau, Owner, Conservation Technologies. The panel discussion and question-and-answer period will be moderated by the League of Women Voters of Duluth.
Sponsors include the League of Women Voters of Duluth, Fresh Energy, Izaak Walton League of America—McCabe Chapter, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and the Sierra Club

The forum is free and open to the public.