Clean Energy Economy Minnesota

TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, COLLABORATION, AND POLICY ANALYSIS THAT ACCELERATES CLEAN ENERGY MARKET GROWTH AND SMART ENERGY POLICIES.

STATE POLICY ANALYSIS:CEEM PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE EDUCATING POLICYMAKERS TO PASS THE LANDMARK ENERGY CONSERVATION AND OPTIMIZATION ACT OF 2021 (ECO) INTO LAW. THIS WAS A KEY POLICY PRIORITY OF THE WALZ-FLANAGAN ADMINISTRATION. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO ASSERTED BUSINESS SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT FOR CLEAN CARS MINNESOTA WITH FILED PUBLIC COMMENTS AS PART OF THE RULEMAKING PROCESS. THIS HELPED MAKE MINNESOTA THE 15TH STATE IN THE NATION AND FIRST IN THE MIDWEST TO ADOPT CLEAN CAR STANDARDS. CEEM WAS SUCCESSFUL IN LEADING THE IN-STATE ROLLOUT OF TWO KEY ANNUAL REPORTS, THE 2021 MINNESOTA ENERGY FACTSHEET AND 2021 CLEAN JOBS MIDWEST - MINNESOTA REPORT. THE IMPORTANT FINDINGS CONTAINED IN BOTH REPORTS WERE COVERED WIDELY IN KEY MEDIA OUTLETS ACROSS THE STATE AND CONTINUE TO BE USED EXTENSIVELY IN EDUCATIONAL CONVERSATIONS WITH DECISIONMAKERS TO ADVANCE CLEAN ENERGY JOBS AND INNOVATION WHILE EXPANDING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT COMMUNITIES IN MINNESOTA. THE ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS MEMBERS ALSO FURTHER EDUCATED LAWMAKERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF XCEL ENERGY'S SOLAR*REWARDS PROGRAM TO EXPAND CHOICE FOR CUSTOMERS WHEN IT COMES TO PRODUCING THEIR OWN ENERGY WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING THOUSANDS OF SOLAR JOBS IN MINNESOTA. IN THE 2021 SESSION OF THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE, WITH CEEM'S STRONG SUPPORT, A BILL WAS PASSED PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION AND EXTENDING THE PROGRAM TO 2024.

STAKEHOLDER CONVENING:IN 2021, CEEM EXPANDED ITS WORK TO ELEVATE EQUITY AND ENGAGE DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS LOCATED THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA. THE ORGANIZATION LAUNCHED A NEW 'VIRTUAL ROADSHOW' SERIES THAT HIGHLIGHTED THE POSITIVE ECONOMIC IMPACT CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS ARE HAVING IN ALL CORNERS OF OUR STATE AND IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES. THIS INITIATIVE HELPED TO RAISE AWARENESS REGARDING HOW CEEM'S MEMBER BUSINESSES AND THEIR LOCAL PROJECTS ARE DELIVERING BENEFITS TO COMMUNITIES AND TRIBAL NATIONS AS WELL AS HOW CLEAN ENERGY CONNECTS TO THE EVERYDAY LIVES OF ALL MINNESOTANS. CEEM PRODUCED FIVE SEPARATE WEBINARS HOSTED IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE STATE THAT SHOWCASED 15 DIFFERENT CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS THAT ARE DELIVERING ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO EACH REGION. OVER 100+ PEOPLE ATTENDED AND INCLUDED TARGET AUDIENCES OF LOCAL, REGIONAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL DECISION-MAKERS, POLICYMAKERS, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS AS WELL AS REPRESENTATIVES FROM VARIOUS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ORGANIZATIONS.

PUBLIC EDUCATION:CEEM DELIVERED THE BUSINESS VOICE AND ASSOCIATED BUSINESS CASE FOR ACTION ON CLEAN ENERGY AND CLIMATE IN OUR SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC EDUCATION EFFORTS. CEEM MOBILIZED CREDIBLE VOICES OF LEADERS THROUGHOUT OUR BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING OUR MINNESOTA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ON THE POSITIVE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND JOB IMPACTS OF BOLD POLICY ACTION ON CLEAN ENERGY AND CLIMATE. THROUGH AN ARRAY OF ONE-ONE-ONE ENGAGEMENTS AND EDUCATION WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS AS WELL AS THE OFFICES AND STAFF OF OUR MINNESOTA DELEGATION, BUSINESS LEADERS SHARED HOW FORWARD-THINKING PUBLIC POLICIES AND SWIFT ACTION THROUGH THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT AND THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT SUPPORT EQUITABLE CLEAN ENERGY JOBS, INVESTMENT, ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS, AND RECOVERY. CEEM AND OUR MEMBERS ALSO PUBLISHED A NUMBER OF OP-ED'S AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO SHOWCASE SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL AND STATE ACTION AND WE ALSO ORGANIZED A MULTI-STATE OPINION-EDITORIAL IN THE HILL. CEEM ALSO LED THE DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION OF THE 5TH ANNUAL CLEAN ENERGY BUSINESS DAY AT THE CAPITOL. OVER 170 BUSINESS LEADERS PARTICIPATED IN THIS POWERFUL DAY OF EDUCATION CONNECTING WITH THE WALZ-FLANAGAN ADMINISTRATION AND LAWMAKERS TO DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF STRONG CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES. CEEM WORKED WITH GOVERNOR WALZ TO DECLARE MARCH 10, 2021 AS "CLEAN ENERGY BUSINESS DAY" ACROSS MINNESOTA AND SECURED A GOVERNOR'S PROCLAMATION FOR A FIFTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR. CEEM ALSO PARTICIPATED IN GOVERNOR WALZ' TRADE MISSION DELEGATION TO THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FINLAND TO DISCUSS THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND BENEFITS OF MINNESOTA'S CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY. THE ORGANIZATION CONNECTED WITH SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC COUNTERPARTS AND REMAIN A KEY PARTNER IN HELPING THE WALZ-FLANAGAN ADMINISTRATION DELIVER ON THE SIGNED LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN MINNESOTA AND FINLAND TO COLLABORATE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES ACROSS BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND ACADEMIA THAT WILL USHER IN ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR MINNESOTA AND ITS CITIZENS.

CEEM PROVIDED SUPPORT TO PILOT GRID CATALYST WHICH IS FOCUSED ON ACCLERATING CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION AND DEPLOYMENT BY CONNECTING ENTREPRENEURS TO PROJECT DEMONSTRATION, MENTORSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT, AND INVESTMENTS TO GROW THEIR BUSINESS. GRID CATALYST IS THE FIRST AND ONLY CLEAN ENERGY ACCELERATOR IN THE MIDWEST FOCUSED ON DEPLOYING CLEAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR NORTHERN CLIMATE CHALLENGES.