Sen. Al Franken visit generates discussion at Dakota Electric
Cooperative’s CEO reports delinquent accounts rising
by Laura Adelmann
U.S. Sen. Al Franken and members of his staff visited with Dakota Electric representatives and board members Friday, Aug. 19 as part of his renewable energy tour throughout Dakota County. photo submitted
Thisweek Newspapers
U.S. Sen. Al Franken visited Dakota Electric Association in Farmington Friday, Aug. 19 to discuss energy issues and tour Dakota Electric’s high-tech dispatch center.
Franken promoted incentives to retrofit buildings to meet today’s energy standards, noting that those kinds of mandates will create jobs for unemployed people in the construction industry.
Dakota Electric President and CEO Greg Miller said in a presentation that the cooperative has been ahead of the federal mandate that 25 percent of energy produced is from renewable sources by 2025, and the cooperative now meets standards set for 2023.
However, he said the wind energy provider they use is losing $2 million per month on their contract.
Although the company has a wind energy program that many customers pay a little extra to derive their power from, wind levels are slow during the day when power is most needed and surges at night when demand is down.
Franken said perhaps wind power could be used to power up electric cars at night.
Miller also addressed concerns the cooperative is hearing from its members.
He said delinquencies are rising, and an unprecedented number of proposed rules by the Environmental Protection Agency threaten to increase electric rates in the future.
“Everything comes at a cost, and we have struggling membership,” he said, adding that between 12,000 and 13,000 members of the cooperative’s 101,518 members are in some level of delinquency on their electric bills.
Franken emphasized energy efficiency improvements and alternative energy options as a way to reduce costs, and referenced a letter he wrote asking the EPA to loosen regulations at North Dakota power plants because of its affect on local energy bills.
In the letter, Franken and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson urged the EPA not to require the installation of the “selective catalytic reactor” pollution control technology at the plants. The officials stated they have no evidence from the EPA that SCR technology is effective in reducing pollution from North Dakota power plans burning lignite coal. Additionally, Franken and Peterson stated installing SCR technology at the Milton R. Young plant would cost $500 million.
Those costs would likely be passed on to Minnesota consumers, they wrote.
Franken’s visit was part of a renewable energy listening tour throughout Dakota County and included stops in Burnsville and Rosemount in addition to Farmington.
Laura Adelmann is at laura.adelmann@ecm-inc.com.
