Today the Minnesota Senate passed its omnibus energy bill by a vote of 37-26.  This follows the Minnesota House of Representatives’ passage of its version of the bill on Tuesday.  The bills now move to a conference committee for consolidation.  After the conference committee completes its work, the consolidated bill will then return to each chamber for a final vote before heading to Governor Dayton’s desk.

Some major differences between the two bills means the conference committee has its work cut out for it.  For instance, the Senate’s bill contains a 1% solar standard while the House of Representatives’ version includes a much more aggressive 4% solar standard.  Whatever the number that ends up in the final bill, Minnesota is set to become only the 17th state to enact a solar standard, and one of the few whose standard is not a carve-out of an existing renewable energy standard.